TRENTON – Senate Education Chair M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) issued the following statement commending the state on being selected to receive a federal grant for the Preschool Development Collaboration Initiative. The state will receive $10.6 million in federal funding to advance an interdepartmental partnership among the various departments currently overseeing programs offered to children ages zero to five:
“I applaud the State on their effort to create a seamless approach to early childhood services which will help our students and their families succeed. It is critical that we continue these efforts and create policy and programs that have a holistic approach from 0-16. I look forward to working with every agency and think this is a great start to a long-term creation of a department that focuses on infant and early childhood goals.”