CA Latino Voter Poll: Early Learning is a Winning Issue HART RESEARCH ASSOTESCIA THETARRANCEGROUP Key findings from statewide survey Conducted for

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for2 Latinos Voters In California  More than one third of California’s population is Latino.  Latinos will be California's largest ethnic group by  There are 5.4 million eligible Latino voters in California, 24% of all eligible voters in the state.  Starting in 2006, a majority of new registered voters in California have been Latinos.

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for Latino Voters in November 2010 Election  Latinos made up 22% of all voters in November’s election.  Latinos made the difference in some of California's most important races.  Governor Jerry Brown – advantage among Latino voters accounted for just over 7% advantage in the overall vote. He won by 11%.  Senator Barbara Boxer – Latinos accounted for just over 8% of advantage. She won by 9%. 3

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for4 Latino Children In California  Latino children account for more than half of all kids under age 5 in CA.  By 2025, Latinos will make up almost half of new labor force in CA.  Our state’s future depends on ensuring young Latino children have opportunity to access early education.  Builds foundation to excel in K-12.  Places on pathway to success in college, careers.

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for5 Survey Methodology  Statewide telephone survey conducted July 19 – 25, 2010, among 895 registered Latino voters in California.  Bilingual interviewers were used for all interviews; 252 respondents took the survey in Spanish.  Margin of error = ±3.4 percentage points.

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for6 % saying each candidate description for governor/legislator appeals a great deal Believes education is the pathway to opportunity Will ensure children have opportunity to get a great education Will do what’s best for CA families Knows/looks out for CA Latino community Will hold down taxes for average CA Wants to invest in infrastructure for CA future Fiscal conservative, will make needed cuts to balance budget Education Candidate Is Most Appealing

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for7 Providing Latino children with same educational opportunities as others Giving children the opportunity to get a good education Providing children an education that will allow them to compete/succeed in today’s economy Ensuring students are grounded in the basics of math, reading, writing State Receives Poor Marks On Education Excellent jobPoor jobNot sureGood jobFair job Evaluation of California’s Performance in Selected Areas

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for8 Description of Preschool Programs: “Organized learning programs outside the home for young children that help children develop social skills and introduce them to early reading and math” Importance of Attending Preschool before Kindergarten Latinos Believe Preschool Is Important, Gives Children An Advantage Children’s Advantage in School after Attending Preschool Extremely important Very important Less important/ not sure 83% HIGHLY IMPORTANT Large advantage 86% CHILDREN HAVE ADVANTAGE Small advantage No advantage/ not sure

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for9 Ready for Kindergarten: Greatest Gains for Kids Who Need It Most

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for10 California’s Efforts to Ensure Quality Preschool Available and Affordable to All California Not Doing Enough To Ensure Preschool Access How many families in your community have access to affordable quality pre- school programs? Doing too much 65% CA NOT DOING ENOUGH 72% HALF/FEWER HAVE ACCESS Not sure Doing right amount Not sure All/ most About half Less than half/ very few

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for11 What Groups of Children Are Least Likely To Be In High-quality Preschool? Percent of children in high-quality preschool that prepares them for success in school:  14% of Latino children  13% of low-income children  12% of children whose mothers have high school diploma or less  5% of African American children

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for12 % saying each is a major reason why some children might not attend preschool Not enough affordable programs Three-hour programs not long enough for parents to work Parents not aware of available programs No programs in my community Teachers/staff don’t speak Spanish Programs available here are poor quality or unsafe Better for kids to stay home with relatives until kindergarten Reasons Children Don’t Attend Preschool

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for13 Strong Support For Greater Preschool Investment, Even In Current Budget/ Economic Environment Support for CA Ensuring Low- Income Families Have Access to Voluntary, Quality Preschool Strongly favor 71% 84% “Even though CA economy and budget are in bad shape, CA needs to continue to sup- port access to high-quality preschool to prepare children for success in kindergar- ten and beyond.” 91% Strongly agree 75% FavorOpposeAgreeDisagree Total Favor Democrats Independents Republicans 87% 68% Total Agree Democrats Independents Republicans 94% 93% 76%

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for14 Messages That Resonate With Latino Voters  Before age 5, children’s brains are like sponges, and they are eager to learn. We should take advantage of this important opportunity to stimulate and feed their minds. (89%)  Preschool helps kids develop social skills, cooperation, problem solving and a love of learning. (86%)  Attending preschool leads to better student performance, including better reading and math scores in kindergarten and beyond. (82%) % saying the following are convincing arguments for why CA should make quality preschool more accessible and affordable

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for15 Latino Voters Support Candidates Who Support Preschool & Early Learning Support for Candidate for Governor/Legislator who wants to: Much more likely 50% 13% 21% More likely to support INCREASE Funding For Preschool/Early Learning DECREASE Funding for Preschool/ Early Learning to Balance Budget Makes no difference Less likely to support 69% Much less likely 44% More likely to support Makes no difference Less likely to support 61% Total More Likely Democrats Independents Republicans 71% 67% 62% Total Less Likely Democrats Independents Republicans 65% 59% 52%

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for16 Will lead California to a better future Focused on the right priorities Looking out for me and my family Shares my values Understands the Latino community Profile Of A Pro-Preschool, Early Learning Candidate How well does this describe a candidate who wants to increase funding to make quality preschool, early learning more affordable/accessible? Describes pro-preschool candidate very well Describes fairly well 78% 74% 69% 65%

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for17 Summary Of Key Findings  Education is a top priority for Latino voters as a pathway to opportunity, but Latino voters give California poor marks when it comes to providing those educational opportunities.  Latino voters see preschool as a critical piece of the state’s educational mission and believe preschool provides important benefits to children.  Latinos face multiple barriers to preschool, so even in the context of the state's fiscal challenges and competing priorities, Latino voters support expanding access to quality preschool.  Latino voters support candidates who support preschool and early learning funding, and would oppose candidates who would decrease such funding.

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for Looking Ahead: Supporting Our Future through Early Learning  Ensuring a successful future for California and the Los Angeles area means ensuring Latino children are ready to excel in school, college and careers.  California early learning policy priorities:  Protecting current budget investments  Development of quality rating scale to improve school readiness and raise quality of existing programs  Transitional Kindergarten 18

CA Latino Voters and Preschool – July 2010 – Hart Research/Tarrance Group for Ways to Get Involved and Show Your Support  Share poll results and other materials with colleagues and friends. All materials are available at  Sign up for Preschool California’s updates to learn about latest policy developments at  Talk with community members and leaders about the importance of early learning in Los Angeles County.  Join us at Preschool California’s Early Learning Advocacy Day in Sacramento on May 25,

Thank you! Ernesto Saldaña, Statewide Field Director Rebecca Chamow, Local Communications Consultant HART RESEARCH ASSOTESCIA THETARRANCEGROUP More information at