Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday that 33 New Jersey school districts would be getting new funding to help create or expand their preschool programs.

Murphy says that the $27 million will be used to ensure that more than 2,300 children will start this upcoming school year in a high-quality preschool classroom. He says, "Expanding early childhood education is among the smartest investments we can make for the future of our state."

“We know that a high-quality pre-K program can start a child on a path to higher achievement, with benefits that follow them throughout their education and across their lives,” Murphy said.

The Teaneck School District is getting $1.2 million of that funding. Administrators say that now they can offer a full-day general education for 78 more preschool children and a half-day for 24 more youngsters, starting this month.

"The earlier a child gets to begin their academic career the more they excel academically as they get older. This opportunity for us in Teaneck is one we couldn't miss,” said Teaneck School Superintendent Christopher Irving.

The state education commissioner stressed that a child’s earliest years are a critical time during which rapid brain development occurs.