Gov. Murphy Praises Belleville’s Growing Preschool Program

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Belleville Public School District’s burgeoning preschool program recently got a thumbs-up from Gov. Phil Murphy.

In a recent interview with Education Week, Belleville Superintendent Richard Tomko said that general education enrollment for preschool has risen from less than 8 percent of eligible children in the 2018-19 school year to nearly 87 percent in 2022-23.

“When I got here, fewer than 1 in 10 of our kids of preschool age were in preschool, and for most it was only half day,” Tomko said. “We know that all the research out there says missing early education really puts kids behind. Now, we have almost 90 percent of our kids in full-day preschool.”

Murphy referenced the report in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

“Through our investments, we’ve helped districts like Belleville reach more children at a critical time in their young lives,” the governor wrote.

Belleville has received more than $16 million in state funds for its preschool program over the past four years. And yes – it is money well-spent, a district administrator told Patch in 2022.

“The state funding is absolutely having the effect it was intended to have here in Belleville,” he emphasized.

• See Related: NJ Preschool Funds Paying Big Dividends For Belleville, Official Says

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