3 out of 4 residents say state-run preschool should be partly or completely free

Seventy-seven percent of Hawaii residents think a state-run preschool program should be partly or completely free for all children, according to survey results released Thursday by Good Beginnings Alliance.

The advocacy alliance that supports programs and services for children also said the survey shows 93 percent thinks preschool is important or extremely important to childhood development.

Good Beginnings Alliance collaborated with the Be My Voice! Hawaii Leadership Council — made up of several businesses, early childhood groups and the philanthropic organizations — to commission the statewide telephone survey by Ward Research of 418 registered voters June 14-25. The margin of error is 4.7 percent.