South Jersey Times – Senate President Steve Sweeney and Deputy Assembly Speaker John Burzichelli joined local education officials and township leaders on Thursday morning for a ribbon cutting event at Norma Elementary School in Pittsgrove Township to celebrate the expanded preschool program.

New Jersey Department of Education Preschool Education Expansion Aid funded the preschool program for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds.

Pittsgrove received a $1.5 million pre-kindergarten expansion grant on September 1 and has worked to begin pre-k education immediately.

“One of the joys of public service for me is doing something that you know will benefit the lives of someone in the future,” said Sweeney. “The years that a child attends preschool is a time during which significant developments in reasoning, language acquisition, and problem solving occur. We cannot overlook these years.”

The grant is allowing the district to expand the program from two half-day classrooms to eight full-day classrooms and one private Pre-K program.

Pittsgrove’s school funding increased by $16,000 in formula aid, $31,000 in Extraordinary Special Education Aid, and $1.5 million in Pre-K education aid as a result of the school funding plan.

Senator Sweeney was joined by Pittsgrove Township Superintendent of Schools Henry Bermann; Norma Elementary School Principal Dan Bruce; and Norma Elementary School Assistant Principal Loretta Elwell.