Each day, support for preschool for California children grows broader, deeper and more intense. Learn more about the many organizations and individuals in California who support increased access to effective pre-kindergarten programs.

See below for a sample of who from K-12 education, the business community, organized labor, law enforcement, communities of color, early care and education, academia and research, philanthropy, and other important stakeholders support this overdue investment in our children and schools.

K-12 Education:

Sue Burr

“County Superintendents strongly support pre-kindergarten. Our K-12 schools benefit when children have access to high-quality pre-k.  Children have better social skills and early literacy and math skills, and are less likely to fall behind.  Schools, families, and communities work hard to ensure that all students succeed in school and in life.  Expanding access to high-quality pre-kindergarten will go a long way towards helping us achieve that goal.”

--Sue Burr, Executive Director, California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA)


David A. Sanchez

"Kindergarten teachers can tell on the first day of school which students attended an effective preschool program and which kids did not. Preschool gives children the academic skills and the social skills they need to start school ready to learn. Preschool also helps kids throughout their education, by reducing the need for remedial classes and increasing their chances of going onto college."

--David A. Sanchez, President, California Teachers Association


Pam Brady

“California parents know how crucial a good preschool experience can be to a child’s social competence and academic success in school.  All California children should have the opportunity to experience effective, developmentally-appropriate preschool.” 

--Pam Brady, President, California State Parent Teachers Association


Marty Hittelman

“Supporting our educational employees includes making sure that each child comes to school ready to learn. Effective pre-kindergarten programs are a critical foundation for our K-12 public education system.”

--Marty Hittelman, President, California Federation of Teachers


Jack O’Connell

“Preschool will help us raise achievement levels for all children in California, and it offers real hope for closing the achievement gap. I am convinced that California should and will find a way to expand access to effective pre-kindergarten. I want all California 4 year olds to be given the foundation that truly prepares them for school and a lifelong love of learning.”

--Jack O’Connell, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of California

A sample of other organizations include:
1. Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)
2. California Department of Education, Child Development Division
3. California Schools Board Association (CSBA)
4. California School Employees Association (CSEA)

Business:

Rusty Hammer

“To keep the state’s economy competitive, both nationally and globally, we need an education system that prepares our children for success in school and in the workforce. Effective pre-k programs provide a critical foundation for all future learning and ultimately contribute to economic development by nurturing a more educated workforce.”

--Rusty Hammer, Former President and CEO, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce


Paul Orfalea

“Providing quality preschool programs for California’s 4 year olds is one of the smartest long-term investments we can make to jump-start our children’s futures. Effective preschool is a proven and cost-effective investment in tomorrow’s workers that will yield long-term fiscal and economic benefits and ensure that California’s workforce remains competitive.”

--Paul Orfalea, Founder, Kinko’s (now FedExKinko’s)


Lew Platt

“What are the benefits of preschool for all? With this one improvement you positively affect workforce readiness, economic development, crime prevention, and education reform. I don’t know many other policy changes we can make that would, in one stroke, begin to mend so many problems in our society.”

Lew Platt (1941-2005), Former CEO, Hewlett Packard



A sample of other individuals and organizations include:
1. Phil Halperin, President, Silver Giving Foundation
2. Jerri Hemsworth, Founder and Creative Director, Newman Grace; and President, National Association of Women Business Owners-California
3. Al Jerome, President and Chief Executive Officer, KCET
4. Sherry Lansing, Former Chairman Emeritus, Viacom Paramount Pictures; and Founder, The Sherry Lansing Foundation
5. Beth Lowe, Chair, Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) Board of Directors
6. Julie Meier-Wright, President & CEO, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
7. Jim Wunderman, President and CEO, Bay Area Council

Organized Labor:

1. American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
2. CALFED
3. Labor Project for Working Families
4. Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Law Enforcement:

Lee Baca

“Effective pre-kindergarten is a crime-prevention tool we can’t afford to waste. I’ve been involved in law enforcement for over 40 years and I’ve seen the generations of children grow up. Many don’t succeed because they didn’t get a great start. When kids go to preschool, law enforcement benefits because those children are less likely to drop out of school and then when they become adults, less likely to commit crime.”

--Lee Baca, Sheriff, Los Angeles County


Barrie Becker

"We know so much now about the direct connection between staying on track in school and staying out of trouble with the law. We also know that preschool launches kids of the path to success in school.  We'd have a safer society if we invested in pre-kindergarten for California children."

Barrie Becker, Director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California

A sample of other individuals include:
1. William Lansdowne, Chief of Police, San Diego
2. Albert Najera, Chief of Police, Sacramento
3. Camerino Sanchez, Chief of Police, Santa Barbara

Communities of Color:

Alice Huffman

“All California's children deserve the chance to excel in school and in life. An essential step toward success is making sure they all have the opportunity to become proficient readers in elementary school. Effective pre-kindergarten provides a language-rich environment that lays the foundation for learning to read.”

--Alice Huffman, president, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP), California chapter


Janet Murguia

“If Latino kids are not succeeding in school, then the school system in California is not succeeding. One key to reversing the achievement gap is a pre-kindergarten system that works for all children. Latino children make great gains in effective preschool programs – when they have access.”

--Janet Murguia, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza


Diane Ujiiye

“Research has shown how much children can benefit from quality preschool, but too many families don’t have access. We should make the opportunity available to every child in California whose parents want to send them.”

--Diane Ujiiye, Chair, Asian Pacific Islanders California Action Network (APIsCAN)




A sample of other organizations include:
1. Black Child Development Institute
2. Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF)

Early Care and Education:

Eve-Marie Arce

“In order to meet the expectations placed on early learning, California must provide pre-kindergarten programs with well-trained teachers for young children. Professionally prepared teachers will have the skills to offer enriching learning environments that will meet the developmental needs during the early childhood years. Expert teachers will have the skills to create lively, enriching experiences helping children become confident and resilient learners ensuring lifelong success and wellbeing.”

-- Eve-Marie Arce, Immediate Past-President, California Association for the Education of Young Children


Edward Condon

“The benefits of quality preschool should be in reach of every California child. We know it helps them do better in school and beyond, and that’s good for all of us.”

-- Edward Condon, Executive Director, California Head Start Association (CHSA)


Karen Hill Scott

“Convincing research demonstrates how much of the learning foundation is built before children enter kindergarten. Effective preschool programs can capitalize on this critical time to help 4 year olds develop the academic and social skills that will enable them to meet their full potential in school and in life.”

--Karen Hill Scott, president, Karen Hill Scott and Company

A sample of other organizations include:
1. California Child Care Resource and Referral Network
2. Child Development Policy Institute Education Fund

Academics and Researchers:

Steven Barnett

“The bottom line, proven by research, is that high-quality education and care for preschool children provides a tremendous return on the investment. All California children should receive a good education in their early years as a matter of principle.”

-- Steven Barnett, Director, National Institute of Early Education Research


David Kirp

“There's a mountain of evidence that preschool, when done right, can achieve small miracles that have lifelong implications. Everything we know about the lives of children points in the same direction -- California's educational compact ought to include preschoolers. We need to make this investment in their futures as well as the future of the state.”

--David Kirp, Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley, Author of the forthcoming book, The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics.


Deborah Stipek

“If we care about the future of California, we need to give every child the opportunity to develop the skills they need to be good citizens and taxpayers, not prison inmates. Investing in preschool education is investing in the next generation of Californians.”

--Deborah Stipek, Dean, School of Education, Stanford University

A sample of other individuals include:
1. Carollee Howes, professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
2. Ross Thompson, professor, School of Psychology, University of California, Davis
3. Marcy Whitebook, director and senior researcher, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley

Philanthropy:

Antonia Hernandez

“Quality preschool programs can position children from underserved communities to succeed in life.  It is far easier to improve children’s abilities in preschool than it is to help them catch up later in their lives.”

-- Antonia Hernandez, President and Chief Executive, California Community Foundation


Lois Salisbury

"Preschool is no longer seen as a nice thing to do for low-income kids, or even as simply an important measure for enhancing school readiness. It is now seen, appropriately, as a driver of future worker productivity and economic competitiveness. Preschool gives proven bang for the buck in terms of raising student achievement, increasing worker earnings, and reducing crime. And while it may seem like a long way off, California's economic fortunes are closely linked with the achievements of today's 3 and 4 year olds."

Lois Salisbury, Director, Children, Families, & Communities Program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Other Important Stakeholders:

Catherine Atkin

“Effective preschool is so important because it provides eager young learners with the early academic and social skills that prepare them for later learning. When done right, effective preschool taught by well-trained and fairly compensated teachers, gets kids ready to learn, ready to read, and ready to do their best in school.”

--Catherine Atkin, President, Preschool California


Jim Keddy

“If we want to have a top-rate state, then we need to have a world-class education system. Such a system requires investment from the state into quality preschool, in order to ensure our children begin school as effective learners.”

-- Jim Keddy, Director, People Improving Communities through Organizing California


Ted Lempert

“California hasn’t fully realized the incredible opportunity to reach young children at such a critical stage in their development. Quality preschool for young children can lay the learning foundation they all deserve to have when they enter kindergarten. We need to be smart and invest in early childhood programs now.”

-- Ted Lempert, President, Children Now


Molly Munger

“Effective pre-kindergarten will close disparities in school readiness and can help ensure that children have a more equal chance to succeed.”

--Molly Munger, Co-Director, Advancement Project Los Angeles


Kris Perry

“Research shows that a child's brain develops most dramatically during the early years of life. Providing effective pre-kindergarten to California 4 year olds enables us to make a big difference at a time when children need it most.”

Kris Perry, Executive Director, First 5 California