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Preschool Expansion Mixed-Delivery Toolkit

Preschool Expansion & Mixed-Delivery: Partnering with Child Care Centers

According to the New Jersey Strategic Plan for Preschool Expansion,  “The road to universal preschool (serving at least 70% of three- and four-year-olds) requires about 138,000 total seats for general education preschoolers in the 526 school districts serving elementary school children in the state.”

  • In the 31 Abbott school districts, “mixed-delivery” is the current policy and practice. School districts partner with community-based child care centers to deliver high-quality preschool  — hence the name, mixed-delivery.
  • In the remaining school districts, too often, school districts partner with community-based child care centers happens only if (1) elementary schools do not have space for preschool or (2) elementary schools can’t create space for preschool.

This toolkit provides information, resources, and templates to support community-based child care centers in more fully understanding expectations and operations of NJ’s high-quality preschool program.  Through information transparency, child care centers can begin the conversations with school districts necessary to obtain contracts and funding to implement high-quality preschool. 

Mixed-delivery preschool within communities is necessary to support:

  • the economic model of child care centers (which is not viable as a business serving only infants and toddlers)
  • working parents who often need care for a full day, well beyond the 6-hour school day
  • parent choice – free high-quality preschool regardless of setting

NEW! Division of Early Childhood Services, Mixed Delivery Handbook , For State-Funded Preschool Districts, Providers, and Head Start Programs, 2026

NJ Preschool Program Guidance

Mixed-Delivery Provider Contracts

Curriculum Requirements

Curriculum Requirements

Grow New Jersey Kids

School District & Provider Budgeting

NJ Economic Development Authority (NJ EDA) Child Care Facilities Improvement Program

The NJ EDA Child Care Facilities Improvement program offered between $50,000 and $200,000 in grants to qualifying child care centers. More than 700 applications from child care centers were received with about 400 receiving funding. Stay tuned should this grant opportunity re-open.

A significant number of centers are using NJ EDA’s funds to renovate or upgrade their facilities to meet Dept. of Education standards and are launching partnerships with local school districts as part of Preschool Expansion.

Preschool Development Screening

Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development (DFD)

Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing

Program Planning & Administration

Additional Background Resources

Potential Preschool Expansion Partnerships

Potential Partnerships for Mixed Delivery Preschool

Click on the map and zoom into your county/community. You can see where the schools are and neighboring child care centers. Clicking on each symbol will result in a pop-up box with more detail.