SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Preschool and daycare teachers from across Illinois visited the Capitol on Tuesday to call for more funding.

They rallied in the rotunda, where they were joined by Governor JB Pritzker. He has proposed a new round of money from the state, along with what he calls the “Smart Start” program.

Pritzker said that, with the additional investment, it puts the state on track to have universal pre-k.

“This, Illinois is setting our families up for success from prenatal care to the first day that a child steps into a kindergarten classroom, and every day thereafter,” he said.

Pritzker’s “Smart Start” program would include a much bigger investment into early childhood programs. The investment from the state would also continue to increase for the next several years.