Fourteen school districts in Maine will add or expand public pre-K programs this fall using new funding from the state.
The roughly $3 million in grants comes from the Mills administration's Jobs & Recovery Plan, passed by the state Legislature last year and allocating nearly $1 billion in federal money.
The new grants will allow schools in Greenville, Kittery, Appleton and Yarmouth to create pre-K programs. Several other schools will expand existing programs.
The state says the new money will expand access to pre-K for more than 500 children. About 5,500 kids are enrolled in public pre-K across the state.
Another set of pre-K grants from the state will be offered later this year.