April 2023 Newsletter

News and Updates from the Multnomah County Preschool & Early Learning Division

A Note From Our Director

With the launch of the Preschool for All family application for 2023-24 just around the corner, I want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible progress we've made so far. Let me share some highlights.

In its first year, Preschool for All:

• funded more than 700 preschool slots in 47 preschools around the county, exceeding our Year 1 slot goal by 44%;
• implemented livable wages for PFA educators;
• provided Infant Toddler Stabilization Funds, which increase wages and benefits for staff who work with 0-3 year-olds — retaining these vital slots in our community and keeping these educators working with our very youngest learners;
• supported home-based family child care providers — the most culturally and linguistically diverse group of preschool providers in our county — through coaching, business supports, and start-up funding that allowed them to make intentional changes to their to their programs; and
• partnered with more than 75 aspiring Preschool for All providers in our Pathways Program to help them plan, make changes to their services, and advance professionally through education, business development, peer networking and personalized coaching.

All of this is only possible due to the commitment our community showed to children and families in passing the Multnomah County Preschool for All Ballot Measure in 2020.

We've put together two new publications highlighting our progress so far, and I'm proud to share them with you today.

The first is an Implementation Update that provides information about PFA Pilot Sites, capacity building, and the first group of children participating in Preschool for All, and the second is a Budget Overview that goes into detail about the Preschool for All tax, our budget, and the fiscal stability strategies we've put in place to sustainably fund this initiative through its full implementation. You can also find this information on our website.

Preschool for All is creating unprecedented opportunities across our community, and we’re just getting started — next year we’ll reach even more families and preschool providers! I appreciate you taking some time in your day to learn about the progress we’ve made so far.

Sincerely, 

Leslee Barnes

Preschool & Early Learning Division Director



Online Family Application Open May 3-31!

We're gearing up to begin taking applications for the 2023-24 preschool year! Sign up to be notified when the application opens.

Upcoming Information Session for System Partners - April 26

The Preschool & Early Learning Division will be hosting an application information session specifically designed for organizations who work with families and young children. Our goal for this session is to equip you with the information you'll need to successfully connect the families you work with to Preschool for All.

This session will be held Wednesday, April 26 from 2-3:30pm. Register here.

Preschool for All Community Partners Meeting - Tuesday, May 2

This quarterly meeting is for community partners interested in learning more about our work and progress. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, May 2 from 12-1 pm. Register here.

Preschool Marketplace OMSI Event - May 22

Multnomah County families are invited to join PFA and other members of the Preschool Marketplace at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) on Monday, May 22 from 6:30-8pm. Have fun at OMSI, and learn about or sign up for free and reduced-cost preschool while you're at it! Admission, dinner, and parking are free to families who attend.

Flyers in multiple languages are available for download. Please share with your community!

PFA Advisory Committee Meeting - April 25

The next meeting of the PFA Advisory Committee will be held Tuesday, April 25, from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. This committee meets quarterly to provide high-level guidance on implementation of the Preschool for All Initiative. If you're interested in watching the virtual meeting, you can find the link and password on our website.

In the coming months, we'll be announcing an application to fill two open positions on the Advisory Committee. Stay tuned for further updates!

Our online family application for the 2023-24 preschool year will open on May 3, with a priority deadline of May 31! After that, the application will reopen in the summer to fill waitlist spots on a rolling basis.

Families can sign up to be notified when the application opens, and they can also reach out to a Family Navigator who can assist them in the application process.

Use this social media toolkit to help us spread the word!

Step 1: Copy and paste the blurb below, or write your own message that includes the link.

Step 2: Right click to save the image.

Step 3: Share with your community!

Extra credit: Use the following hashtags to help us reach more families - #preschoolforall #multnomahcounty #universalpreschool #preschool

You can also download this social media toolkit in Arabic, Dari, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

Keinya Kohlbecker, Assistant Head of School at Harmony Montessori in SE Portland, says that before offering tuition-free preschool through publicly funded programs like Preschool for All and Preschool Promise, she had families tell her, "It's either tuition, or rent. It's tuition, or groceries."

Multnomah County's Preschool for All is making beautiful early learning experiences possible for more and more children across the County.

Check out this video to hear more:

Workforce Development Coordinator

The Preschool & Early Learning Division is looking for a Workforce Development Coordinator. This person will coordinate complex projects and innovative partnerships across multiple sectors to develop and implement strategies to increase the number of diverse early educators in our community and offer existing child care providers access to culturally relevant training and higher education opportunities.

Learn more and apply.

Local Data Collectors

PFA has partnered with Boston University's Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED) to provide evaluation of the Preschool for All initiative. Boston University is hiring local data collectors to collect video observation data. The position pays $25/hr and is flexible, but candidates must be available during some school day hours.

Learn more.

What is Preschool for All (PFA)?

Voters in Multnomah County overwhelmingly supported Preschool for All on Nov. 3, 2020 with over 64 percent of voters approving the measure.

Preschool for All connects 3- and 4-year-olds in Multnomah County to free, inclusive, culturally responsive preschool experiences.

The program will grow over time and families who have the least access to high-quality preschool are being prioritized for the first available slots.

The Preschool for All Plan is the framework for initiative implementation and it reflects more than two years of engagement with community members including parents, educators, culturally specific organizations, policy makers, and early childhood specialists. 

Feedback or ideas for our upcoming newsletter issues?

We'd love to hear from you!



Preschool For All

Contact us at preschoolforall@multco.us