INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is pushing ahead with efforts to persuade lawmakers to funnel at least $7.5 million a year into preschool for children from low-income families.

On Thursday, Pence made another pitch for a pilot program to help families earning less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level send their children to public or private preschool. 

The legislation is a scaled-down version of the governor's goal to give vouchers to roughly 41,000 youths eligible for early childhood education. Only five counties would be chosen for vouchers to send children to preschool under the bill.

The House passed the legislation last month with bipartisan support. The bill is set for discussion in a Senate committee next week.