Gov. Phil Murphy visited an elementary school in Secaucus this morning as part of his commitment to fund pre-K education discussed in his recent budget address.

Since 2018, more than $425 million has been invested into New Jersey’s pre-K education. The money has expanded pre-K by more than 14,600 seats.

As part of Murphy’s 2024 budget, $11 million is earmarked for pre-K education.

“It impacts dramatically the trajectory of the little precious kids’ life. The economic impact studies, which sounds like a cold science, just what that kid will contribute to society, seven times every dollar you spend,” Murphy said.

The funding will also save parents the economic burden of providing and paying for child care.

An application process helped determine which schools received the funding. Among the towns receiving part of the $11 million in funding are Mercer and Robbinsville, receiving $2,661,014; Hudson and Secaucus will get $1,583,647; and Union and Roselle will get $934,496.

Murphy says the money allocated to Secaucus in the 2024 budget allows it to become one of the few towns in the state with universal pre-K with the objective getting every town to be in a similar position.

Murphy also says he hopes to provide more funding to additional schools in the coming years.