CLEVELAND, Ohio - Richard Cordray, a Democrat running for governor, outlined a plan for universal pre-kindergarten on Monday, with plans to obtain some of the funding for the program from diverting money that currently goes to online charter schools.

Cordray, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said state investment into early childhood education made sense both fiscally and morally. But his plan to divert funds from online charter schools - such as the now-closed Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow - are part of a broader strategy by Democrats to overhaul the education system in the state.

Early childhood education is imperative to the future of Ohio - especially as the economy changes and requires a more educated workforce, Cordray said.

"If we don't do that, we will fall behind," he said. "We will not compete with the rest of the country. We will not compete with the rest of the world. And we will pay the price in a lot of young people's lives that will go in wrong directions and their lives will become wasted.

The main plank of the plan includes establishing a "Local Educator Support Hub," at the state level, which would include support and assessment on the best ways to expand access and enrollment in pre-K.

Cordray outlined a vague plan on the funding for universal pre-K. He said the money would come mainly through what he called "reprioritizing" the way the state spends money on education.

"ECOT alone, I think, commanded $150 million in resources last year that was completely wasted in the state of Ohio," Cordray said. "Other programs that we think are misguided in terms of online charter schools, for-profit charter schools, we're going to repurpose money into things like universal pre-K and free community college, and that's part of how we're going to pay for this stuff."

Cordray did not give an estimated price tag on the plan. Ed FitzGerald outlined a universal pre-K plan during his failed 2014 campaign for governor that said it would cost between $500 million and $600 million a year to provide pre-K to every child in the state.

To read Cordray's full proposal, click here.