ECEA Releases Toolkit

ECEA Releases Toolkit to Assist Community-Based Providers in Partnering with School Districts to Offer Preschool Services

We are pleased to share that the budget resolution language for which ECEC and ECEA advocated was included in the final budget that was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on June 30.

As a result of the inclusion of this budget language, a school district that receives Preschool Education Aid for the first time in the 2023-2024 school year will be required (in its preschool application) to show due diligence in establishing partnerships to provide its preschool program through a mixed-delivery system in all licensed child care providers and Head Start programs in its community or neighboring communities that are willing and able to meet all preschool program requirements.

School districts will have access to a list of all child care providers in their communities and neighboring communities and contact information for these providers.However, we strongly recommend that you not wait to be contacted by your local school district(s), but instead reach out to them to begin building a relationship and to express your interest in partnering to provide preschool services.

To assist you in these efforts, ECEC and ECEA have created a toolkit that provides important information about what participating in the state preschool program entails, as well as tips on how programs can prepare to participate in the program. The toolkit also includes helpful templates that providers can use when corresponding and meeting with school district officials and advocating for the development of partnerships between districts and community-based providers. Using the toolkit will help you prepare to participate in the state preschool program, and to liaise to, and develop relationships with district officials, both during and after the Preschool Expansion Aid application process.

We encourage you to begin reviewing the toolkit, and we will also be holding a Zoom meeting on Friday, July 21 from 1-2pm to walk through the toolkit and to answer questions. During this meeting, we also anticipate that several providers will join us who currently operate preschool programs in partnership with school districts and who will have helpful insights to share. A reminder email about the meeting will be sent during the week of July 17, and the meeting can be accessed here.

Click here for the Toolkit.