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Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Multnomah County, OR

The purpose of Preschool for All is to create a universal, high-quality, and equitable preschool system for all 3- and 4-year-old children in Multnomah County by 2030.
Photo provided by Preschool for All

Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Multnomah County, OR

Name of Fund: Preschool for All

Percent of Locality’s Children in Poverty: 12.6%

Annual Revenue: $163 million (2025, most recent year available). The annual revenue is structured to increase as the tax is phased in over time, starting at $133 million in 2021 and generating an estimated $175 million in 2026.

Funding Mechanism: Progressive personal income tax on the highest income earners who live or work in the county. The tax is 1.5% on income greater than $200,000 annually for joint filers and $125,000 annually for single filers, plus an additional 1.5% on income greater than $400,000 annually for joint filers and $250,000 annually for single filers. On January 1, 2026, the tax will be increased by 0.8% on income over $200,000 for joint filers and $125,000 for single filers.

Year Established: 2020

Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2020: 64%

Expiration Date: None

Fund Purpose: Early childhood education, specifically preschool 

Filed under:

Early Childhood, Advocates/Intermediaries, Policymakers/Agency Leaders, Publication, Voter-Approved Children’s Funds

QUICK LINKS

Fund History and Description

Fund Purpose and Impact

Governance and Administration

Relevant Links

More Resources

Updates and Events

Worked with Children’s Funding Project

  • Children’s Funding Project community of practice member

  • Children’s Funding Project ballot measure cohort member

  • Children’s Funding Institute attendee

  • Children’s Funding Accelerator grantee

Fund History and Description
Photo provided by Preschool for All

Voter approval of a November 2020 ballot measure allowed the official establishment of the Preschool for All program in Multnomah County, OR. This resulted from years of effort to expand access to early childhood education, particularly for families of color and those experiencing poverty. Foundational work began in 2012, with the Ready for Kindergarten Collaborative, a partnership between the Multnomah County Commission on Children, Families, and Community and Social Venture Partners Portland. In 2014, Early Learning Multnomah created the Parent Accountability Council to ensure that families from six culturally specific communities had a strong voice in shaping early learning strategies. These efforts led to the formation of the Preschool for All task force in 2018, which developed the program’s policy framework, funding strategy, and implementation plan, in partnership with the Parent Accountability Council and other community members.

In 2020, two separate campaigns, Preschool for All, led by County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, and Universal Preschool Now, launched to pursue countywide universal preschool funded by a tax on high-income earners. The two campaigns merged in August 2020 to strengthen their impact and present a unified vision to voters. Commissioner Vega Pederson continued to champion the measure, supported by Universal Preschool Now’s community organizers and a broad coalition of leaders committed to the goal of providing free, high-quality preschool for all Multnomah County children. The success of the ballot measure, which passed in November 2020 with 64% of the vote, marked the beginning of Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program. 

Fund Purpose and Impact
Photo provided by Preschool for All

The purpose of Preschool for All is to create a universal, high-quality, and equitable preschool system for all 3-and 4-year-old children in Multnomah County by 2030. The phased rollout prioritizes outreach to children who historically have been underserved, particularly Black children, Indigenous children, other children of color, and children from families with low income. The program provides six hours of preschool, five days a week, year-round, with free extended day options for eligible families. Family choice is central to Preschool for All’s design, offering a mixed delivery model that includes the option to attend preschool programs in family child care homes, child care centers, or school buildings. Teachers receive a living wage and professional development support, with lead teachers earning salaries comparable to kindergarten teachers. Highlights from Preschool for All’s impact include the following: 

  • 2,225 preschool seats were funded and filled in the 2024-2025 school year. 
  • 3,800 preschool seats are projected to be funded and filled for the 2025-2026 school year. 
  • 97% of available seats were filled as of April 2025.
  • 71% of enrolled children are from families earning at or below the self-sufficiency standard as of 2024-2025. 
  • 63% of enrolled children’s families identify them as Black, Indigenous, or children of color as of 2024-2025. 
  • Across enrolled families, 61 languages are spoken. 
  • As of September 2025, Preschool for All had more than 120 providers at almost 220 locations. 
  • More than 850 educators participated in workforce development programs in 2025. 
Governance and Administration

Multnomah County administers the Preschool for All program through the Preschool and Early Learning Division of the Department of County Human Services—a division established in 2021 specifically to implement the program. Funding comes from a voter-approved income tax on high-income earners, collected by the City of Portland and managed in a dedicated fund by Multnomah County. A Preschool for All Advisory Committee, appointed by the chairperson of the Board of County Commissioners, provides strategic guidance, reviews expenditures, and makes policy recommendations. The Advisory Committee includes 12–15 members who live or work in Multnomah County. As of 2025, six of the 15 Advisory Committee members lead or work for preschool provider organizations, with six of those organizations actively participating in the Preschool for All program. In the 2025-2026 school year, two new feedback groups, one made up of providers and one made up of families, will begin providing additional input about implementation. The governance structure centers on community input and ensures decisions are made through an equity lens.