Multnomah County, Oregon is recruiting new preschool providers to expand its landmark free preschool program, which voters created in 2020 with an ambitious promise: a preschool seat for every 3- and 4-year-old in the county, regardless of family income.

The Preschool for All program, funded by a dedicated income tax surcharge on high earners that was projected to generate roughly $200 million annually, has been adding capacity each year since its first cohort launched in fall 2022 with around 600 to 700 slots. The county's ultimate goal is to serve all roughly 14,000 eligible children. This latest round of provider recruitment, posted April 28, is aimed at the 2026-2027 school year.

The program was born out of a genuine gap. Oregon has long ranked among the worst states for child care access, and even in Multnomah County, the state's most populous, preschool was out of reach for many families. Private child care ran $15,000 to $18,000 a year per child, and early educators earned poverty-level wages. Black, Indigenous, Latino, and low-income families faced the steepest barriers. Voters passed Measure 26-214 with about 64% support, creating a 1.5% income tax surcharge on individual earnings above $125,000 and 3% on earnings above $250,000, with all proceeds locked to preschool funding.

Rather than build a single government-run system, the county deliberately designed Preschool for All around a mixed-delivery model: public school classrooms, private child care centers, family-based home providers, and culturally specific organizations serving communities of color all participate. The program also requires participating providers to pay educators well above typical market wages, a feature intended to address the sector's chronic staffing crisis.

Still, the rollout has been slower than many advocates hoped. Enrollment in early years fell short of projections, some providers struggled to meet the program's wage and quality requirements, and questions about administrative costs have drawn scrutiny from local media and critics. At the same time, the income tax has collected more revenue than initially forecast, raising the stakes for the county to show it can spend the money effectively.

The county's own language in the current recruitment is telling: it's asking new providers not just to deliver preschool slots but to help refine the program itself, a sign that Preschool for All is still evolving even as it expands. Providers selected now will shape what the program looks like when, or if, it finally reaches every eligible child in the county.