Bridgeport schools will expand their preschool classes next year thanks to a federal grant.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch made the announcement Wednesday at the Beardsley School on Huntington Road.

"Pre-K is one of the most important moments in anyone's life," he said. "Early childhood education is the most important dollar that we spend because these are skills where children learn team building, sharing, proportions, sizes, shapes, numbers."

The expansion is part of a $12.5 million grant allocated to Connecticut. The funding will help send at least 180 children to preschool programs for four years.

The city of Bridgeport is just one of many across the country to benefit from a $1 billion federal education grant announced Wednesday by President Barack Obama.

Finch believes the grant brings Bridgeport one step closer to becoming the first city in the state to offer pre-K to every family, but it is up to parents to contact officials at in order for their children to attend.

Parents like Anais Rosa believe the funding is a step in the right direction. "They get a wider education when they start early," she said, referring to preschoolers.

When you factor in other expansions in pre-K funding over the past year, officials say there are now nearly 400 new or improved pre-K seats in Bridgeport.