Manchester Partners With Nursery School For Expanding Preschool Program

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township schools rolled out the second phase of the district's new universal preschool program on Monday with its partnership with Hilltop Nursery School.

The partnership allows 45 more 3- and 4-year-olds to participate in the new integrated preschool program being offered to Manchester families by the school district.

The partnership not only offers preschool but adds the ability for parents to get child care both before and after school for the children who attend the program, Manchester schools officials said.

"The partnership with Hilltop Nursery School, a staple in our community rooted in valued tradition, is a welcome addition to our new universal preschool program," Superintendent John Berenato said. "These partnership sites enable us to further utilize the Preschool Expansion Aid awarded to the school district and offer Universal Preschool programming to even more Manchester families while meeting the requirements set forth by the state."

The district received $3 million in Preschool Expansion Aid that allows the school district to offer the expanded academic-based preschool program to residents at no additional cost to taxpayers.

The funds will not expire because the aid expands as the preschool enrollment increases, officials said.

"Seeing the Universal Preschool Program come to fruition after the tedious application process that was involved for Manchester to even have been awarded the Preschool Expansion Aid from the state is truly amazing," said Bridget Antonucci, director of special services. “The district’s ability to now offer a Universal Preschool Program opens up the opportunity for all Manchester children to be provided a strong academic base from the public school system before they even enter kindergarten. It truly is an added value to our community as a whole."

The program is offered to up to 135 children, at all three elementary schools as well as at Hilltop Nursery School. The program allows for dedicated classrooms and staff led by Lori Burns, who was hired as the district's preschool director.

The preschool program will follow the same calendar as the rest of the Manchester Township Schools, with the program running from 9:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. daily. All students who are accepted into the 3-year-old preschool program will then be automatically enrolled and registered for the 4-year-old preschool program the following year as long as they still live in Manchester.

Information about the program, phases and dates for registration and acceptance notification can be found on the district website.

The program will continue to grow and offer preschool to more children until it accommodates all of the 3- and 4-year-olds in the district, officials said.

The Manchester Schools are looking for additional preschools to partner with in the future. If you believe that you may have space available that can be utilized as a community partnership for the Universal Preschool Program in Manchester Township, please contact the Office of the Superintendent at 732-650-5900.