Preschool for All Takes Input From Providers

Private providers have expressed concerns that providing Preschool for All at their locations would drive them out of business.

Melody's Munchkins Preschoolers who attend Melody's Munchkins for free play tag in the backyard. (Brian Brose)
By Joanna Hou

Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program will establish a preschool provider advisory committee this year, with applications opening sometime this spring.

The committee will include 10 to 15 members who operate schools participating in the county’s universal preschool program, county spokeswoman Julie Sullivan-Springhetti says. The group will focus primarily on policy development and refinement, including advising the county on requirements and expectations for providers.

Its formation comes as the county relies on folding about 7,000 private preschool slots into the program to meet its goal of enrolling 11,000 preschoolers by 2030.

In October, WW raised questions to the county after private providers expressed concerns that providing Preschool for All at their locations would drive them out of business, citing high standards imposed by the county that were unsustainable financially (“In Timeout,” Oct. 23, 2024). Since then, current and prospective providers have complained that their input was going unheard.

“The provider advisory committee will offer an opportunity to collaborate with providers through a more formalized structure,” Sullivan-Springhetti says.

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