Gloucester Twp. Schools Expand Preschool; Lottery Now Open

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District has been awarded a $4 million increase from the state to expand its preschool services, the district announced this week.

This will allow the district to provide full-day preschool for nearly 400 hundred 3- and 4-year-old students, Superintendent of Schools John Bilodeau said in a letter to parents posted on the district’s website.

Funding will allow the district to add 12 teachers and 12 para professionals, and increase the number of general education students in the program. The district can also add a master teacher and two support staff, including a social worker. No more than 15 students will be in a classroom.

School bus transportation will be available, and Blackwood, Chews, Erial, Glen Landing, Mullen and Union Valley will serve as host schools. The school day will be 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the calendar will be the same as the calendar for the rest of the school district. More information about the program can be found on the school district’s website.

The district anticipates more interest than available seats, so it will hold a lottery that began on Wednesday and runs through April 26. Lottery applications can be submitted on the district’s website.