Once upon time, a lot of working parents felt guilty dropping off their kids at preschool.
"YOUR mother stayed home," carped the you're-a-bad-parent fairy. "What's wrong with YOU?"

There's still plenty of guilt - that fairy never shuts up - but the attitude about preschool in California is shifting dramatically, a perception that could pave the way for monumental change in the state's education system.

This is the universal preschool movement and, according to a new survey, the majority of Californians are behind it. They think it's important for kids to attend preschool before entering kindergarten, or at least have a choice.

And they don't think the state's doing enough to get us there.

"It's like, if you build it, they will come," said Rob Reiner, the actor/ director who chairs First 5 California, which released the survey this week.

"It's not just preparing for K-12," Reiner said. "Most educators view this as part of public education."

But how to pay for it? This, obviously, is no small or inexpensive idea. What advocates want in California is voluntary, free preschool for any child who wants it - an estimated 575,000 kids ages 3 and 4 throughout the state.

First 5 California, the commission that disburses Proposition 10 cigarette tax money, has focused since its inception in 1999 on school readiness, including preschool for all.

That vision is clearly being embraced, as the survey found that a majority of Californians believes the state should offer voluntary preschool to all kids, regardless of family income.

Attitudes have shifted quickly.

In 2001, a majority of California parents surveyed, or 54 percent, thought it better for kids to stay at home with a parent full time than to go to preschool. But two years later, that had dropped to 29 percent, with the majority - 68 percent - now favoring preschool.

The shift was especially strong among Latino parents of young children, whose preference for preschool went from only 30 percent in 2001 to 76 percent last year.

The dilemma for California, naturally, is the same old same old: money. First 5 California, along with county commissions, have committed $1 billion over the next five years to begin pilot preschool projects. Los Angeles County's commission took the biggest step by pledging $600 million to make preschool available to every 4-year-old in that county within five years.

But those efforts won't make it happen for all of California's 4-year-olds - an ambitious undertaking that could cost an additional $1.5 billion a year. Add in 3-year-olds, and the tab gets even higher.

Philosophically, anyway, the state is buying in. Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, has introduced a bill to enact universal preschool, as recommended in the Master Plan for Education. Held over from last year, the bill currently doesn't seek any new dollars. Steinberg says he hopes the state can commit to a long-term funding source by session's end.

"Just because we're living in difficult times doesn't mean we set aside our state's long-term vision," he said. "This will happen. ... This will happen.

Other moves are afoot. Reiner, independent of his role as First 5 chairman, has joined with the California Teachers Association to push a ballot initiative asking voters to raise commercial property taxes to pay for preschool - a plan vigorously opposed by many business groups.

"This initiative is just devastating and lethal," said political consultant Mitch Zak, who represents opponents he says aren't against preschool but do think the initiative would seriously hurt businesses and renters.

Alas, the First 5 survey didn't ask Californians what they'd be willing to do to get universal preschool. But it did find the desire, always a start.

The fact is, California is pitifully behind on this front. The state ranks 37th in the nation in preschool/childcare enrollment rates of 3-to 5-year-olds, according to the California Research Bureau.

Georgia - get this, Georgia - has become a national model, devoting lottery money to its preschools. Enrollment there is now up to 72 percent.

Meanwhile, for all our desire, California's enrollment is a mere 47 percent, putting us right alongside Kentucky. Now that's something to feel guilty about.