In November 2020, voters in Multnomah County approved Measure 26-214, or Preschool for All (PFA), which extends free preschool to three- and four-year-olds across the county. Sixty-four percent of voters supported the measure, which was championed by Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.
PFA is funded by a personal income tax, which the county plans to use to expand the early childhood education system by 12,000 publicly funded preschool slots by 2030. Specifically, the county will create new preschool classrooms, subsidize existing ones, and offer teachers higher pay (from $19.91 to $37 per hour).
To participate, children must be three or four years old by September 1 and have a parent or legal guardian living in Multnomah County. The number of PFA seats will grow over time, increasing the number of providers and families, until the system is universally available in 2030. This program has no expiration date.
Sources:
Frost, A. (2023). Parents and providers highlight successes of Preschool for All. Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Multnomah County Department of County Human Services. (n.d.). Questions & Answers.
Peel, S. (2023). Multnomah County’s Big Plans to Fund Universal Preschool Have So Far Produced Pint-Sized Results. Willamette Week.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
- But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.