On Tuesday, January 8, 2008, Governor Patrick took part in the "Rising Stars of Massachusetts" celebration at the State House, joining the Early Education for All Campaign (EEA), State Representative Patricia Haddad, Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Ann Reale, and Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten (MA UPK) grantees to honor recipients of the MA UPK Pilot Classroom Quality Grant.

At the celebration, Governor Patrick committed to a funding increase for the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program (MA UPK) in his soon-to-be-released fiscal year 2009 state budget recommendation, stating, “I pledge to you that we will increase funding further in the coming budget and we will stay on that path of annual increases until we have delivered on the promise of universal, high-quality early education for every child in this Commonwealth.”

Organized by the Early Education for All Campaign, "Rising Stars of Massachusetts" is a collaborative art project designed to highlight and honor recipients of the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten (MA UPK) Pilot Classroom Quality Grant.

Programs selected for the MA UPK pilot grants have met criteria established by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care and have shown a commitment to high-quality early education.

All 129 MA UPK pilot grant recipients were invited to take part in this project, which features photos of and art created by children attending MA UPK programs statewide.

The response was overwhelming: over 1,000 children who attend pre-k programs in a variety of settings decorated the beautiful stars, which were on display at the State House on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, for the Rising Stars of Massachusetts Celebration.