Yesterday, the Best Start For Kids STL campaign submitted over 36,000 signatures to St. Louis City's Board of Elections to achieve ballot access.

This was the result of the hard work of a broad coalition of child care providers, parents, business leaders, grassroots leaders, faith leaders, philanthropists, and early childhood champions. Over 100 volunteers put in countless hours across the city at farmers' markets, sporting events, child care centers, parks, playgrounds, bars, grocery stores, and more.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for showing up to achieve this first big milestone because of your belief in our children and our city. We must keep showing up to secure this win.

Today, we need to prepare for the next phase -- getting voters who say YES to funding child care in our city to the polls. This phase requires more funding and more champions.