NJ Bill Could Keep Twins Together in Preschool
Parents of multiples in New Jersey could ask that their children be placed together in public preschool lotteries.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Child Care
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New Jersey lawmakers advanced a bill that would give parents of multiples more say over which public preschool classrooms their children are placed in. The legislation, Bill A5218/S4349, was sent to the governor's desk in late October 2026 and would extend existing kindergarten-through-eighth-grade placement rights to preschool programs statewide.
Why it matters
Current New Jersey law lets parents of multiples request same or separate classrooms in grades K through 8, but that protection does not reach preschool, where lottery systems or open enrollment can split twins or triplets apart. The change would let families ask that multiples be treated as a single unit during preschool admissions, a 2008 law having already extended that voice to older grades.
The bill, A5218/S4349, is sponsored by Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Ocean) and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex/Morris/Warren) and has passed the legislature to reach the governor's desk. Its reach is defined by statute rather than by a study, covering school district preschool programs, Head Start, and licensed child care providers.
The players
Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Ocean)
A New Jersey Assembly Republican from Ocean County and a co-sponsor of the bill to extend multiples placement rights to preschool.
Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex/Morris/Warren)
A New Jersey Assembly Republican representing Sussex, Morris, and Warren counties and a co-sponsor of the preschool multiples bill.
The details
Under current state law, parents of twins and other multiples can request that their children be placed in the same or separate classrooms from kindergarten through eighth grade. The proposed bill would carry that same request right into public preschool. Parents could ask that multiples be treated as a single unit when a preschool lottery or open-enrollment system decides placements, rather than having each child entered and sorted independently.
Timeline
2008: New Jersey law first gave parents of twins and multiples a greater voice in classroom placement decisions.
Late October 2026: The preschool bill advanced to the governor's desk awaiting action.
Health Landscape
New Jersey's 2008 law set the precedent of letting parents of multiples influence whether their children share a classroom in K through 8. The pending bill applies that same logic to preschool, where early enrollment decisions are made through lotteries and open enrollment rather than grade-based assignment.
If you are raising multiples and facing a preschool lottery or open-enrollment decision, the bill would let you ask that your children be treated as a single unit. Families expecting multiples may want to raise the placement question with their pediatrician or preschool provider early, since the rules are still pending the governor's action.
The takeaway
Parents of multiples in New Jersey may soon have the same classroom-placement voice in preschool that they have had in older grades since 2008. Keep an eye on the governor's action on A5218/S4349, and bring placement questions to your child's provider early.
Further reading
For more on how families navigate early childhood enrollment, see Child Care coverage across the state.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WRNJ Radio.
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