Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson announced Tuesday, Feb. 27, that she will ask the Board of County Commissioners to delay a scheduled tax increase for Preschool for All for at least one year.
The announcement comes in the second year of program implementation, which voters approved in 2020 to make high-quality, culturally responsive preschool available for every 3- and 4-year old in the County.
The program is funded by a tax on high-income earners who live or work in Multnomah County.
Ninety percent of County residents do not pay the tax.
“Preschool for All is succeeding — we are meeting our goals, getting kids into preschool seats, and on track to fulfill the promises we’ve made to the voters,’’ said Chair Vega Pederson. “Our capacity is expanding every year as we ramp up toward universal access. Our latest data makes it clear that we can delay the scheduled tax increase for one year without negatively impacting our work.”Preschool for All launched during a low point for our community’s early learning system in 2021, when more than 20% of area childcare providers had permanently closed and preschool teachers had left the field in droves during COVID-19. Nevertheless, the program in its first two years offered almost 1,400 seats, 12% beyond the target, and aims to open at least another 700 seats this year.
As planned and made clear when the measure was sent to voters, revenue from the income tax covers current costs and also contributes to a dedicated savings account that’s necessary for ensuring the program reaches its goals as it expands. As more children enroll and the costs of the program grow, the County is projected to eventually spend more on Preschool for All then it takes in for a limited time period. At that point, the County will draw down the dedicated savings account to keep the program operating.
But new economic projections presented to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Feb. 27, show that the County could delay a tax increase scheduled in 2026 for at least one year, without any negative impact to meeting universal access. If the Board takes no action, the tax increase will occur.
“Knowing a tax delay does not negatively impact the program and provides us with an additional year of data and results for Preschool for All, I will be asking our Board to delay the 0.8% tax increase and push back the deadline for a technical committee report by one year,’’ Chair Vega Pederson said. She plans to have a Board work session in the near future, and then bring an ordinance forward that would move both the tax increase and the deadline for the report from a technical committee from Jan. 1, 2026, to Jan. 1, 2027.
Program offers preschool options for children once shut out
From the beginning, the County promised that Preschool for All would offer families a choice of preschool options: from smaller home-based settings with teachers who look like their child, to centers that offer the scheduling flexibility two working parents need, to school-based programs that make the transition into school settings easier.
The program has focused first on families with limited or no opportunity for their child to attend preschool: These include Black, Brown, Native American Indigenous, and all children of color; children with developmental delays and disabilities; children living in or at risk of placement in foster care; children from families experiencing low incomes; children who speak languages other than English; and children experiencing homelessness.
This year, every family who applied could choose six preschool options on their application and rank them in their order of preference; 93% of applicants enrolled in one of their top three schools.
The result:
- 96% of seats available are filled.
- 89% are from families earning at or below 350% of the federal poverty level, equivalent to $105,000 for a family of four in 2023.
- 73% identify as BIPOC.
- 38% speak languages other than English at home — with 44 different languages spoken overall.
- 22% have disabilities.
Preschool for All Director Leslee Barnes said offering preschool for children with disabilities is an important program focus.
“Not only do these families have a hard time finding and keeping care, they also are more likely to have quit, changed, or not accepted a job due to challenges finding childcare compared to families who do not have children with disabilities,’’ she said.
In response, Preschool for All offers not only a seat, but also dedicated staff to help teachers create inclusive environments and navigate systems. The program offers a coach to focus on classroom practices, and an inclusion coordinator for every preschool who can offer warm and rapid support for providers. That inclusion coordinator is available to visit the site, offer guidance, and help with resource referrals and coordinate across systems.
All pilot sites have access to low-barrier inclusion support funds based on the needs of the individual children. These funds can be used in multiple ways, including for equipment such as a weighted blanket, additional communication tools, or a staff member to support that teacher.
Inclusion services also support children who may be experiencing mental health challenges or exhibiting behaviors that adults find challenging.
Families benefit, too, Director Barnes said. Because the child is enrolling through Preschool for All, a participating provider can't decline to enroll a child because of need. And because the program has multiple ways to support providers if struggles are encountered, very few children have been unable to remain in their classroom.
Changes coming: Mid-year enrollments as capacity grows
Preschool for All is also ramping up capacity. For the first time, the program will offer mid-year seats that open in January, starting next school year.
“Our investments in recruiting, training and retaining the workforce we’ll need are gaining steam,’’ Chair Vega Pederson said.
The minimum wage for any Preschool for All worker is $20.91 an hour this year, and that wage increases annually. The program now has more than 800 current and future early educators participating in its Fiscal Year 2023-24 workforce development programs, such as career coaching, bilingual support at their community college, and scholarships.
In the first year of the program, 20% of providers were able to expand into a new location just with the additional stability that participating in Preschool for All provided. The program’s $16 million facilities fund will be fully operational by the end of March, offering additional resources to providers seeking to grow their programs and participate in Preschool for All.
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