The Bergen (N.J.) Record's 2006 series on waste, corruption and misuse of public funds meant to improve preschool in New Jersey continues to win plaudits. The series by Kathleen Carroll and Jean Rimbach just won the $10,000 Clark Mollenhoff Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting from the Institute on Political Journalism. Earlier this month, Carroll and Rimbach won the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting from the Education Writers Assn. The series published last April relied on state audits as well as old-fashioned buttonhole reporting and identified preschool operators who were taking the taxpayers of the state for a ride. Instead of providing high quality preschool, some private operators spent money on luxury cars, vacations, and gambling while refusing to pay their teachers' benefits or provide good quality settings. The series also won the prize for the best investigative series in the 100,000 to 250,000 circulation category from the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization.

As in New Jersey, most of the states investing in pre-kindergarten are spending money on private as well as public school settings. The series highlighted the need for states to oversee how those funds are spent.