Bill
A 5717
Expands state-funded universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and requires full-day kindergarten statewide by 2029-30, with grants, partnerships, and a steering committee.
Note on title discrepancy
- The header supplied with the request names a bill about GPS devices for buses and trucks. All attached documents, bill text, and committee reports instead describe A5717 as the "New Jersey Universal Preschool and Kindergarten Act" (early childhood education). This summary covers the actual bill text and committee materials provided (preschool / kindergarten legislation).
Summary — A5717 (New Jersey Universal Preschool and Kindergarten Act)
Purpose
- Codifies and expands New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) policies to build and sustain universal access to high‑quality, State‑funded preschool for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds and requires full‑day kindergarten statewide. Seeks to formalize preschool funding rules, require annual expansion grants, create a pilot cost‑sharing model, and establish an implementation steering committee.
Key provisions
- Preschool expansion grants: DOE must provide annual grants to expand free, high‑quality preschool for resident 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds in districts that do not already offer State‑funded preschool. Grant requirements and application expectations are set by DOE.
- Preschool education aid formula: Revises allocation rules by removing District Factor Groups and using projected FTE enrollment for the upcoming year. Districts receiving aid must demonstrate partnerships with licensed child care providers and Head Start, engage in program planning, and perform self‑assessments.
- Three‑year cost‑sharing pilot: For districts receiving preschool education aid for the first time in 2025‑26, 2026‑27, or 2027‑28, aid will be calculated as: district aid percentage × the amount computed under the preschool aid formula used for districts that received aid in 2024‑25. For the pilot, the district aid percentage is the greater of (a) the district aid percentage defined under the State school construction law or (b) 40%.
- Universal Preschool Implementation Steering Committee: Establishes a multi‑agency and legislative committee in DOE to coordinate implementation and requires the committee to convene local subcommittees for practitioner input.
- Reporting, outreach, and guidance: DOE, Department of Children and Families (DCF), and Department of Human Services (DHS) must maintain and annually update internet information on preschool/child care providers, jointly issue annual reports on preschool status and mixed‑delivery efficacy, and publish guidance to expand access in high‑need areas.
- Facilities/funding technical changes: Removes preschool students from the population used to determine approved area for unhoused students for facilities projects. Allows certain new preschool districts to exceed the 2% tax levy cap to cover local share of preschool costs (limited to actual preschool costs).
- Full‑day kindergarten: Requires all elementary‑serving districts to provide free, full‑day kindergarten no later than the 2029‑2030 school year. Districts may enter into sending‑receiving arrangements with neighboring districts to comply.
Who is affected
- State agencies: DOE, DCF, DHS (reporting, website maintenance, guidance).
- Local school districts: New funding and program requirements, potential new costs to provide preschool and full‑day kindergarten; districts newly receiving preschool aid may access tax levy cap relief for preschool local share.
- Licensed child care providers and Head Start programs: Required partners in a “mixed delivery” approach; districts must show due diligence in partnering.
- Families, especially economically disadvantaged families and multilingual learners: Intended beneficiaries of expanded access to high‑quality preschool and full‑day kindergarten.
Fiscal and timing implications
- Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimate: Potential State and local cost increases are indeterminate. Some components codify existing practice and are cost‑neutral; others (full‑day kindergarten requirement, expansion grants, pilot) could raise costs depending on appropriations and local implementation.
- Example historical preschool expansion grant appropriations (for context): FY2020 $20M; 2021 $10M; 2022 $26M; 2023 $40M; 2024 $40M; 2025 $20M; FY2026 proposed $10M. The bill requires DOE to provide grants but does not set appropriation amounts.
- Full‑day kindergarten requirement effective by start of 2029‑2030 (phasing window if bill takes effect in 2025‑26).
Procedural status and sponsors
- Introduced: 2025‑05‑22 (Assembly). Reported from Assembly Education Committee with amendments 2025‑06‑16 and from Assembly Appropriations Committee 2025‑06‑19 (1R). Substituted by S3910 (SCS/1R) on 2025‑06‑30. Legislative status metadata also lists “REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION” (appears inconsistent with the bill’s policy content).
- Sponsors: Assemblymembers Andrea Katz (primary), Michaelle C. Solages (primary), Brian Cunningham (cosponsor).
- Related bills: S3910 (companion/substitute); prior‑session bills A8553 and A5244.
Committee amendments (highlights)
- Require districts applying for expansion grants to demonstrate due diligence in partnering with ready/willing licensed child care providers and Head Start programs (documentation of outreach).
- Require DOE/DCF/DHS to list all districts offering State‑funded preschool on their websites and to update promptly after award decisions.
- Require annual interagency reports on mixed‑delivery efficacy.
- Require the steering committee to convene local subcommittees for practitioner input.
- Permit districts to justify not using a mixed‑delivery model if extenuating local circumstances limit feasibility.
For more detail
- Text includes specific statutory amendments to Title 18A and P.L.2007, c.260; readers should consult the bill text (1R/2R versions) and the OLS fiscal note for precise language and fiscal assumptions.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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