Smoking Study Suggests Tobacco Tax Could Fund Texas Preschools

That's because of the benefits to children from going to preschool, says Helen Blank, director of childcare and early learning at the National Women's Law Center.

"It's a very sensible idea, because if you have a good, strong early start, you're likely to be more successful in school, be more productive adults, and make more healthy choices and you may choose to not smoke," Blank says. "So [President Obama] put two good causes together – reducing smoking. This proposal would mean that 1.7 million kids alive today would not become adult smokers. And on the other end, all those children … close to 38,000 in Texas would have access to good, high-quality preschool."