On September 23, 2008, Latino state legislators from throughout the United States participated in a Legislative Hearing on Pre-K and the Early Grades on Capitol Hill. The nation's leading experts on Latinos and early childhood education presented new research and information on programs and policies that work. Their testimony provided an in-depth understanding for the potential of high-quality pre-k through 3rd grade education to close persistent school readiness and achievement gaps for Latino students. The Legislative Hearing on Pre-K and the Early Grades was part of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund's 4th Annual National Summit on the State of Latino Education, an intensive three-day convening of 50 Latino public officials, including state legislators, school board members, community college trustees and municipal officials from across the country. This paper presents the following testimonies: (1) Proof Positive: Early Education Helps Close the Achievement Gap (Eugene E. Garcia); (2) Seven Policy Myths of Early Education: Reviewing the Facts (Michael Lopez); (3) Getting to the 3rd Grade Turning Point (Kristie Kauerz); (4) Keeping the Momentum Going through Aligning Systems (Jesse H. Ruiz); (5) Early Education Funding: Strategies for Creating Effective Programs (Libby Doggett); and (6) Developing a Model for Early Education Funding (Lawrence O. Picus). (Contains 2 figures, 5 tables and 69 footnotes.) [Funding for this paper was provided by Pre-K Now.]