Preschool For All Newsletter

January 2023 Newsletter

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

A Note From Our Director

Announcing the Hadiyah Miller

Preschool for All Scholarship

Our community has lost a legend.

For many years, I was honored to work alongside Hadiyah Miller, a true pillar of the early learning community in Multnomah County, who we lost this past year. Hadiyah worked to give early educators and child care providers the tools they need to serve every child who comes into their classrooms.

One part of her lasting legacy is her leadership of a coalition of advocates that championed Senate Bill 236, legislation that ensures children in Oregon will no longer be expelled from preschool settings. This bill passed in 2021.

She wasn’t afraid to talk about racial equity and the bias that can get in the way of meaningful connection and relationship building with children and families. She knew that support for early childhood professionals would translate into loving, supportive, joyful classrooms for children. And she brought her passion and expertise to the design of the Preschool for All Plan as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee and the PFA Advisory Committee.

Hadiyah Miller dedicated 50 years to the field of Early Childhood Education in a variety of roles and settings — connecting with, teaching, and inspiring so many of us. The focus of her work was advocating for anti-bias practice, equity, and increased access to quality early learning experiences for all children and families.

The Preschool & Early Learning Division is honored to recognize and celebrate Miss Hadiyah’s legacy through a scholarship in support of early learning providers and teachers in Multnomah County. Scholarships will be available as either individual awards or group awards for staff teams. Awards are intended to support the continued professional growth and development of early learning professionals.

The Hadiyah Miller Preschool for All Scholarship will be available later this year through the Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education (OCCD). Please look for additional information in future newsletters and communication.

Her legacy will continue to grow future educators and honor her lasting contribution to early learning.

Sincerely,

Leslee Barnes

Preschool & Early Learning Division Director

Equity in Implementation

The Preschool for All Plan was created by and with our community, and racial equity is a grounding principle throughout. This is why the Preschool & Early Learning Division is committed to prioritizing children from families with the most barriers to preschool in our outreach and enrollment as we grow toward a universal system.

Our first preschoolers began school this past September, and our goal was to reach 500 children. We have surpassed that goal, and there are currently over 700 Preschool for All slots!

The charts below show the percentages of our 2022-23 preschool students who come from the populations we want to make sure we reach.

Important Dates & Upcoming Events

Advisory Committee Meeting - Tuesday, January 31

The Preschool for All Advisory Committee meets quarterly to provide high-level guidance and feedback on initiative implementation. The next Advisory Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 31 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Please visit this page to learn more about the group.

Preschool for All Community Meeting - Tuesday, February 7

This quarterly meeting is for community members interested in learning more about our work and progress. The next meeting will be held Tuesday, February 7 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm. Register here.

Workforce Development Proposals Due Jan. 31, 2023

The Preschool and Early Learning Division has developed an Early Childhood Education Workforce Development Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ). This procurement will fund current and new workforce strategies focused on the recruitment and preparation of future early childhood educators (ECE) and child care staff. The RFPQ is intended for organizations with the ability to provide culturally relevant and culturally specific workforce development strategies that will increase the number of ECE teachers and child care staff.

Scope of services of this procurement include:

Culturally specific outreach and recruitment strategies
ECE career coaching
Job-readiness training and ongoing supports
Collaboration and partnerships with early childhood organizations and systems

The procurement is now open and proposals are due January 31, 2023.

For additional information on this opportunity, please contact:

Anna Hathorne, Multnomah County Purchasing

anna.hathorne@multco.us

Phone: 503-988-8193

Limited PFA openings available now!

We're filling open spaces for the current 2022-23 preschool year. The online application is closed, but interested families can contact a family navigator to apply.

Applications for the 2023-24 year will open in the spring.

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

Social media graphics are also available in Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Karen, Russian, Somali, and Vietnamese.

Sample post:

Multnomah County Preschool for All has limited space available for the current 2022-23 school year! Children who were 3 or 4 years old before September 1, 2022 and who have at least one parent or legal guardian living in Multnomah County are eligible to apply.

Visit multco.us/preschool/application-help to connect with a family navigator who can submit your application!

Applications for the 2023-24 preschool year will open this spring.

#preschoolforall #multnomahcounty #universalpreschool #preschool

We're Growing our Team

Preschool Partnership Supervisor

The Preschool Partnership Supervisor will lead a team responsible for supporting the success of participating programs and coordinating partnerships that will support providers, children, and families.