Public all-day pre-k to begin in Bayonne on November 1

BAYONNE — The Bayonne School District is expanding pre-k this year to dozens of students starting on November 1 after it applied for and was awarded a Preschool Education Expansion Aid (PEEA) grant of $770,982. The funds will go to provide all-day pre-k to 65 children who will be admitted through a lottery system.
State-certified pre-k teachers will lead classes at Henry E. Harris School, Lincoln Community School, Philip G. Vroom School, Washington Community School and Midtown Community School.
The city will maintain free half-day programs, which run in every elementary school. Last year, the district had 468 children in half-day pre-k. Nineteen kids in Bayonne are currently enrolled in the district’s full-day program at Nicholas Oresko Community School, which costs a fee.
With limited classroom space, the Bayonne Board of Education was considering using modular classrooms outside the main buildings, but ultimately decided against that plan for reasons of cost and efficiency.
The grant is part of $25 million in earmarked funds from July’s state school funding agreement, from which Bayonne gained an additional $2.9 million in state aid.