Abbott Preschool
In 1998, the New Jersey Supreme Court mandated full-day, high quality preschool programs for all three- and four-year-old children in Abbott school districts. ELC has carefully monitored State and district progress in meeting the Abbott program goal of universal enrollment of all children in the Abbott districts and the regulatory target of enrolling 90% of the eligible universe of children in each community. For more detailed information, see the ELC publication Abbott Preschool at 25: Declining Enrollment Puts a Landmark Program at Risk.
Preschool Expansion
In 2008, the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) mandated the expansion of high-quality preschool to low-income children across the state. Under the SFRA, universal districts – those in District Factor Group A & B or CD with over 40% low-income students – are required to provide preschool to all three- and four-year-olds, while targeted districts are required to provide preschool to low-income children only. Approximately 30,000 more students are eligible for preschool services under this plan. However, implementation of the program has been delayed by the State’s budget difficulties.
The following interactive report presents preschool enrollment data for the Abbott districts.
