ANN REALE, the state's new commissioner of early education and care, has to be a cheerleader, promoting the idea that high-quality early education is good for children and good for the economy.

Children in preschool settings build both academic and behavioral skills that are crucial to school success: listening, sitting still, making friends, and relating to teachers. The economy benefits because children in quality programs do better in school, eventually earn more, and generate more tax revenues. They also use fewer public services such as welfare, special education, or jail.

Reale has been Governor Romney's education adviser. In her new role, she needs to build a publicly funded preschool program that offers universal access and uniform excellence. Massachusetts got started last year when legislators created the Department of Early Education and Care. The task now is for Reale to unite the players -- including parents, day care providers, Head Start programs, and state officials -- and forge diverse preschool choices.

Reale should emphasize action, figuring out how a universal system should work. A fully developed early education system will take years to build, so the state should run pilot programs to learn about content, teaching, parent involvement, transportation, and other issues.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds should be given priority. Research shows that they gain the most from high-quality programs. But it would be a mistake to stop with them. Schoolchildren at every socioeconomic level have problems that could be eased or prevented by quality preschool programs.

Reale must also plan for children up to age 3, three years of great cognitive leaps, because by the time some children reach preschool or kindergarten they are already lagging behind their peers in cognitive and emotional skills.

Professional development is a huge challenge. Teachers should have college degrees, so the state's public colleges should offer enhanced programs, including classes held at worksites. Reale should look at ABCD, the Boston antipoverty agency, which is using a $2.2 million federal grant to experiment with training and education. And with higher requirements, preschool teachers will demand higher salaries. Reale should invite private-sector participation. Companies can contribute good ideas, funding, and eager volunteers.

The estimated cost, $1 billion a year for universal early education, can seem staggering, and the programs will have to be phased in. But it is cheaper to invest in children than in adult remediation. A good early education is a lively, economical way to help children achieve lifelong success.