Low income families needing assistance for preschool will now be eligible for up to $7,500 a year.

The Minnesota Department of Education announced it is raising the cap for early learning scholarships, which used to be $5,000.

Brenda Casselius, the education commissioner, said the money will go to an estimated 5,700 children. 

The program is designed to give low-income families access to highly rated pre-school programs in order to address the state's vast achievement gap for low-income and minority students.