Publicly Funded Preschool Education In New Jersey: A Portrait of Union County
Angela Schaefer
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Education
Major: Early Childhood Education
Faculty Research Mentor: Sehba Mahmood
Abstract:
The benefits of preschool education are well documented, and New Jersey has recognized this. The state now offers publicly funded preschool programs in 229 school districts with a second recent initiative to codify preschool funding, the aim is to provide universal pre-k throughout the state. There has been minimal research on this important initiative. The aim of the present study is to document the landscape of publicly funded preschools education in Union County. Further, New Jersey has the third highest estimate of children with autism across all states. Therefore, additionally this study will examine if the number of special education teachers is adequate for the schools that form the universe of this study. This is important because the value of supporting students with autism earlier has led to better outcomes. Special education support in preschools is thus crucial. The data for this research is being collected and the results will indicate the position of publicly funded preschools paving a path for future research.