Team,

Policy debates in Washington can get pretty abstract sometimes. We see that this week as Washington debates the Build Back Better plan, which contains so many important policies for working families that have been overshadowed by numbers, personalities, and drama.

But as mayor of San Antonio, I got to see firsthand the real consequences of one of the subjects up for discussion in Congress right now: universal pre-K.

Around ten years ago, we looked at which investments would make the biggest long-term impact on our city’s future. Early education stood out. So I asked voters to raise the sales tax one-eight of a cent to expand high quality, full-day pre-k for thousands of San Antonio four-year-olds. We called it PreK4SA.

Some said it was unrealistic: who was going to vote for a tax increase in Texas? But we brought together business leaders with educators, parents, and students to make the case. And in November of 2012 the voters approved the measure.

So the next fall, I found myself standing outside a PreK4SA early childhood center as the first group of young students arrived for their first day of school. They had their little backpacks on. A lot of them were excited. And some were crying. Truth be told, a lot more of the parents were crying.

Sure, there were tears of sadness — of seeing their little ones walking into school for the first time. But there were also tears of joy — the joy of knowing a great pre-k education was the first step on the road to a brighter future.

The scene hit home for me because one year earlier, Erica and I had dropped our daughter off for her first day of pre-k. As we’d left the classroom that day, I’d found myself whispering the same message my grandmother gave me and my brother on our way to school: "Que dios te bendiga” — "May God bless you." My grandmother never made it past the fourth grade, but she worked hard to give my mother, her only child, a chance in life, so that my mother could give my brother and me an even better one.

Programs like PreK4SA make it possible for communities to come together and make sure that the next generation, and the generation after that, gets the opportunity to succeed and thrive.

It’s been a terrific success, and last fall, the people of San Antonio voted to extend it. Now, with the Build Back Better plan, we have the chance to extend that opportunity to every 3- and 4-year-old child in America.

Democrats are fighting hard in Washington to pass universal pre-k. If we pass the Build Back Better agenda — paid for by asking the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations to pay their fair share — millions of children will put on backpacks and walk into classrooms like the ones I saw in San Antonio. Millions more families will be able to pass on a legacy of hard work and opportunity. And nation's future will be far brighter.

But first, we must raise our voices. If you agree that universal pre-k must be a top priority for our future, please add your name to call on Congress to get it done.

Many thanks,

Julián

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