{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://sires.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/sires-announces-grant-to-expand-preschool-programs-in-new-jersey", "Sires Announces Grant to Expand Preschool Programs in New Jersey", "2014-12-10", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Albio Sires", "S001165", "sires.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Congressman Sires announced that New Jersey was awarded a Preschool Development Grant by the Department of Education to expand preschool programs in underserved communities across the state.\u00a0 Specifically, New Jersey was awarded $17,498,115 in fiscal year 2014 to support expansion of voluntary, high-quality preschool programs for 4 year olds in high-need communities for children from low-and-moderate income families.\n\u201cA child\u2019s socioeconomic status should not determine whether they are afforded early learning opportunities.\u00a0 New Jersey has been a leader in its commitment to expand high-quality early education and this grant will assist in implementing the state\u2019s comprehensive strategy to ensure that all children enter kindergarten ready to succeed,\u201d expressed Congressman Sires.\nSpecifically, New Jersey was one of 18 states that will utilize the grant to work with local communities to provide high-quality preschool programs for over 18,000 additional children in the first year of the four year program.\u00a0 To be eligible for a Preschool Development Grant, states must present an ambitious and achievable plan to implement and sustain high-quality preschool programs that can reach and serve additional eligible children in high-need communities.\u00a0 Up to five percent of the Expansion Grant award may be used for state-level infrastructure and quality improvements.\n\u201cUntil Congress can implement legislation that would provide pre-school for all, these Preschool Development Grants are critical in ensuring that local communities are provided with the necessary resources to educate thousands of children that would otherwise not have the opportunity to begin learning at an early age,\u201d stated Congressman Sires.\n\u00a0The award announcement was issued as part of the White House Summit on Early Education that brought stakeholders ranging from businesses to educators together to focus on expanding access to early education.\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://sires.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/sires-announces-grant-to-expand-preschool-programs-in-new-jersey"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9058590512722731, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}