The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the federal stimulus package, will over the next two years provide all states with federal funding to support early learning opportunities for 3- and 4-year-olds. This investment clearly reflects Washington's acknowledgement of the link between high-quality early education and the nation's economic future. Surpassing any other federal initiative since Head Start in 1964, ARRA will provide states with approximately $5 billion for early learning. The federal aim is to help states enhance or expand early learning programs. For New Jersey, which plans to expand its nationally recognized Abbott preschool program to all low-income children in the state, the funding could be crucially important. But New Jersey may come up short. Although the state is slated to receive millions of dollars in ARRA funds that could potentially be used for early childhood education, certain restrictions on how the funds can be distributed and used make it difficult for New Jersey to utilize the money for preschool expansion. This policy brief examines how ARRA's funding mechanisms are a barrier for providing New Jersey's low-income preschoolers with expanded access to the state's high-quality Abbott preschool program.