In all, the candidate’s childhood education plan would cost roughly $1 trillion over 10 years. So far, Buttigieg has singled out changes to capital gains taxes, stricter tax code enforcement and a repeal of Trump administration tax cuts as primary ways to pay for his plans.

Buttigieg would offer ample appeal to teachers unions, whose endorsements are up for grabs, plus a list of fine-print proposals to restore Obama-era education policies rejected under the Trump administration by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos — including support for LGBTQ students and a big expansion of government spending. His plan will be contrasted with those of other leading candidates like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who also call for big boosts in K-12 school spending.

How would the Buttigieg early childhood education plan work?

A massive new subsidy program would combine the Child Care and Development Fund, the Preschool Development Grants Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

The resulting system would keep families from paying more than 7 percent of their incomes for full-day child care and pre-K for children up to five, according to Buttigieg’s campaign.

Families that earn less than the nation’s median income would pay between zero and 3 percent of their income, Buttigieg’s plan said, while families that live in poverty would have “fully subsidized care.”

The campaign said most families would shell out a sort of copay that reflects their income level to access the early learning program they choose. Subsidies — with help from state payments — would cover the rest. Families could choose among Head Start, local programs, private centers or home-based care centers.

Buttigieg said he would also increase federal funding for foster care by $1 billion each year to improve the system, and devote another $2 billion annually to finance wage increases and training for early childhood educators.

How would Buttigieg change funding for low-income schools?

Buttigieg would triple funding for so-called Title I schools, which qualify for certain federal grants if they have high numbers of children from low-income families.

The core of that plan would increase salaries for educators and staff who work in those schools, according to Buttigieg’s campaign. School districts would be first required to use the new money to ensure educators in low-income schools are paid better, in order for those jobs to become more attractive.

Buttigieg’s plan also calls for prioritizing Title I funding increases for states and school districts that overhaul their education funding models to send more money to low-income schools.

He would increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and also institute a “pre-clearance” process that requires school districts to consider racial and socioeconomic integration as part of any major boundary change.

Buttigieg would create a federal fund to give students in Title I schools paid apprenticeships. A separate $3 billion fund would finance research into items such as potential new teacher-led assessments or career pathway models.

What about charter schools?

Buttigieg would ban for-profit charter schools, which advocates say make up only a fraction of the country’s charter operators.

Buttigieg would also require states to take action against “low-quality” charter operators and report annually on how well charters are performing.

What about school safety and LGBTQ kids?

Buttigieg says his administration would work with Congress to spend $3.5 billion on a Student Success and Academic Enrichment Grant Program, and would include administrative guidance and regulations to ensure those funds are not spent on “unproven and potentially dangerous actions, such as arming school staff.”

A separate proposal for a School Climate Innovation Fund would help local governments test ways of reducing disparate discipline rates.

Buttigieg's plan also says he would "appoint a Secretary of Education who is committed to LGBTQ+ equality and safety in the public school system, and to building a culture of inclusion that starts in the Department of Education."

That would include presidential support for school curriculum "that recognizes the contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans throughout history" and "reinstate Obama-era guidance on the treatment of transgender students, including with respect to pronouns, restrooms, and dress codes."

What’s Buttigieg saying?

“We need to honor teachers like soldiers, and pay them like doctors,” Buttigieg wrote in an essay released with his plan on Saturday.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten took note of the plan. "Mayor Pete’s plan is driven by an important underlying goal: to reclaim the promise and potential of public education to educate every student equitably, regardless of geography or demography," she said in a statement. "Similarly to other Democrats’ plans, it is bold in its vision, proposing proven measures to integrate our public schools and tripling investments in Title I and IDEA, so low-income students and students with disabilities have the support and opportunities they need to succeed alongside their peers."