Governor Neil Abercrombie has signed legislation that ends junior kindergarten in 2014, and establishes a state Office of Early Learning to begin phasing in a publicly funded preschool network.

Advocates have been pushing the state for years to create a taxpayer-funded preschool system, pointing to a growing body of research that underscores the importance of early learning to lifelong success.

Supporters however, say big questions remain on how the new system will be funded, and what it will look like.