LittleRoadsCo.New Jersey
Classroom materials for New Jersey's preschool programs
New Jersey spends more per child on preschool than almost any other state in the country. The Abbott preschool districts and the expanding Preschool Expansion Aid programs hold classrooms to standards that match the investment. Grow NJ Kids, the state's QRIS, uses both ECERS-3 and CLASS. The NJ Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards explicitly require materials that reflect the community. For programs spending $15,000 or more per child, the classroom environment needs to show it.
High investment, high expectations
New Jersey's preschool system grew out of the Abbott v. Burke court decisions, which mandated high-quality preschool in the state's lowest-income districts. Those original Abbott districts now operate some of the most generously funded preschool classrooms in the country. The Preschool Expansion Aid program extended similar standards to additional districts, and enrollment is approaching 55,000 children statewide.
The NJ Department of Education's Division of Early Childhood Services oversees program quality. Grow NJ Kids rates programs using ECERS-3, CLASS, and program self-assessment. The combination means assessors are looking at both the physical environment (ECERS-3) and the quality of teacher-child interactions (CLASS). Community connection materials help on both scales.
With per-child spending among the highest in the nation, New Jersey programs can afford quality materials. The question is whether those materials are specific enough to meet the standards. A $200 rug that features the actual neighborhood around the school is a better investment than a $200 set of generic diversity posters that could be in any classroom in any state.
For Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Camden, and beyond
New Jersey's preschool programs span dense urban centers like Newark and Camden, suburban districts in Bergen and Morris counties, and smaller communities across the state. Each has its own streets, landmarks, and community character. A rug from a Paterson classroom shows Paterson. One from Princeton shows Princeton. The specificity demonstrates the intentional community connection that Grow NJ Kids assessors look for.
Whether your program is in an Abbott district, a Preschool Expansion district, or a community-based organization participating in Grow NJ Kids, the rug features your neighborhood. Your school at the center, surrounded by the streets and landmarks your children know.
See how your school's neighborhood looks as a rug
Enter your school's address and we'll generate a custom illustration of the surrounding neighborhood. Real streets, local landmarks, your building at the center.