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About 84,000 4-year-olds are expected to show up in Georgia’s prekindergarten classes this year. But demand for the program is even greater than that.

Anyone can apply for a place in Georgia’s lottery-funded pre-K program. But there’s not enough room for everyone. So, students are chosen by another lottery. “We have about 5,000 children on our waiting list,” Georgia’s pre-K program director Susan Adams said.

Adams said there’s probably more demand, but pre-K isn’t available everywhere.

Even though state lottery revenue is up considerably, Adams said any extra money pre-K gets is not enough for more slots.

“There were budget cuts for the program a few years ago, and those budget cuts did things like increase the class size,” she said. “It also cut days off the school year.”

This year, Adams said the department is restoring cuts and ensuring quality before looking to expand.