Here are some of the preschool movement’s major accomplishments since Preschool California was founded.

• In 2006, pre-k advocates worked with Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to pass AB 172, which invested an additional $50 million to ensure that 12,000 more California 4 year olds have the opportunity to attend pre-k. This was the first installment in a three-year, $150 million initiative that the governor has purposed for preschool.
  
  
• Since 2003, the State Preschool Program budget has risen from $313 million to $441 million, which reflects a more than 22 percent increase in the rate per child.
  
  
• Since 2003, First 5 Commissions throughout the state have committed more than $1 billion to expand and improve the quality of preschool.
  
  
• In the last three years, the number of bills on preschool in the state Legislature has doubled in comparison to the prior three years.
  

As we move into 2008, there is significant state pre-kindergarten legislation continuing in the coming year. There are also several important statewide dialogues on public education – including the Governor's Committee on Education Excellence and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell's P-16 Council – that are incorporating preschool in the conversation.

And, perhaps most important of all, the California network of leaders dedicated to advocating for effective preschool programs now includes an impressive and ever-growing array of dedicated leaders from K-12 education, business, law enforcement communities of color, parents and early care and education providers.