A number of schools serving four-year-old students are now eligible for grants made possible by a new Montana preschool program, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.

Three million dollars were made available for Montana preschool programs to expand access to quality early childhood education for four-year-olds, states a news release from Governor Steve Bullock’s office that adds he worked with the 2017 Legislature to secure the first-ever state investment in publicly funded preschool.

“Funding to create a pilot preschool grant program was included in House Bill 639 and passed with bipartisan support,” the news release states.

The goals of the pilot programs “is to increase access to high-quality preschool and demonstrate the effectiveness of preschool in multiple settings including public schools, private preschool providers and public-private partnerships,” the news release continues.

Public schools, Head Start programs, childcare providers serving four-year-olds, private preschools and community-based preschools are eligible for competitive grants of up to $150,000 to participate in the program. Applications and additional information, including program criteria, are available at www.starspreschool.mt.gov.

Applications for funding must be submitted by 5 p.m. Monday, July 10.