N.J. is expanding pre-K again. See the 22 school districts getting more seats.

A $42 million federal grant package will be carved up among nearly two dozen New Jersey school districts to help them build and expand their preschool programs, state officials announced last week.

The 22 school districts, which will receive awards ranging in size from $46,000 to more than $7 million, will mostly use the money to expand the number of available pre-K seats, Gov. Phil Murphy’s office said.

The funding is expected to add 1,493 seats to classrooms across the state. (See the full list of 22 school district below.)

Other uses for the money include: the construction and rehabilitation of preschool classrooms; the expansion of preschool programs from half-day to full-day; and the expansion of classroom capacity to house new preschool programs and guarantee additional seats.

The announcement by Murphy and acting state Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer marks the second funding round for the state’s Universal Preschool Facilities Expansion Grant initiative.

The funds come from a pot of $120 million in federal money allocated as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, an economic stimulus bill passed in 2021 to help states recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first round of the initiative saw more than $74 million in preschool facilities funding doled out, including $52 million announced in November 2023, according to Murphy’s office.

“High-quality preschool can positively impact the trajectory of a child’s life, which is why we have made it our mission to expand access to these critical programs,” the governor said in a statement.

In October, Murphy and Dehmer announced 18 districts would receive a total of nearly $20 million to get 1,200 more seats into preschool classrooms.

The 22 new districts scheduled to receive funding are listed below. Unless listed otherwise, each award will be put toward a single project at one school.

Atlantic

• Hamilton: $2,788,643
• Hammonton: $2,757,805

Bergen

Burlington

• Cinnaminson: $150,000
• Palmyra: $1,050,000

Camden

Cumberland

Essex

Hunterdon

• Clinton: $232,000
• Readington: $208,363

Middlesex

• Carteret: $5,858,632
• Dunellen: $3,463,300
• Highland Park: $573,240
• Piscataway: $2,268,500

Monmouth

• Ocean Township: $280,986 (divided among three schools)

Ocean

• Lacey: $1,350,000
• Point Pleasant: $93,702

Passaic

• Wayne: $5,014,070 (two projects at one school)

Sussex

• Franklin: $211,069
• Sandyston-Walpack: $400,000

Union

• Rahway: $2,173,030 (divided among two schools)

Warren

• Great Meadows: $1,037,550