Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program will add 69 classrooms in 30 counties this fall, according to an announcement made today by Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education.

The expansion will create seats for more than 1,200 children.

The First Class Pre-K program gives 4-year-olds access to free early education in their communities. It currently serves about 22,000 children and has been awarded the highest quality rating by the National Institute for Early Education Research for 17 years.

Legislators recently approved 2024 state budgets, which include an almost $12 million increase for the Office of School Readiness that administers First Class Pre-K.

“Ensuring our youngest learners have a strong start to their educational journeys is one of my top priorities for my second term. Alabama continues to set the nationwide standard for success with the Alabama First Class Pre-K program,” Ivey said in a news release. “I am excited to see additional classrooms being awarded to areas of the state with low access and high rates of poverty. Providing all children, no matter their ZIP code, with a solid foundation in education is critical to the future success of our state.”

Read more: See where child care is most expensive in Alabama.

The new classrooms will open in Autauga, Baldwin, Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clarke, Colbert, Cullman, Dekalb, Escambia, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Russell, Shelby, Talladega, Tuscaloosa and Winston counties.

A full list of new programs and locations can be found here.

Alabama wants to make free preschool available to about 70% of 4-year-olds in the state.

Students who participate in early childhood learning programs are less likely to repeat a grade, require remedial education, or be placed in special education. They are also more likely to score higher on achievement tests, graduate from high school and go on to college, get higher paying salaries as adults and stay out of prison and off welfare.

Families interested in signing up for First Class Pre-K for the 2023-24 school year can fill out a pre-registration application beginning Sept. 1 here.