PFA Family Newsletter

Fall 2025

Happy Fall! Time for a New School Year!

young child in a swing with a big smile as the sun is shining

We are so pleased to start a new school year with this community! Thank you so much for being a part of Preschool for All (PFA). Whether this is your first or second year with us, we wish you the best!

This newsletter includes helpful information, resources for the new school year, and ways you can stay connected with the PFA community.

Do you have ideas to improve the accessibility of this newsletter? Share your ideas by calling 503-988-1280 or email us at preschoolforall@multco.us any time.

2025-26 PFA Family Handbook

Please check out our new 2025-26 PFA Family Handbook. The handbook is a great resource that you can use year-round as any questions or concerns come up for your family. It provides general information about the program, family responsibilities, what to expect from us, and key information about program policies. It can be helpful if you have any questions about PFA, or want to learn more about inclusion resources or policies.

The Family Handbook is available in English, Dari, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, and Vietnamese.

PFA Family Engagement Committee

We are inviting families and community partners to join the PFA Family Engagement Committee this fall! This committee will focus on the experience of PFA Families and help the Preschool & Early Learning Division (PEL) meet the needs of families in the community across Multnomah County. Past, current or future PFA families can apply anytime between October 15, 2025 through November 15, 2025 using this Google form link.

PFA Evaluation Update

We are learning and growing every day at Preschool for All. Evaluation supports this learning and growth. Our evaluation team collects family and provider feedback and experiences; classroom experiences; child, family, and community data; and more. We use this data to understand what’s working well, where we can improve, and how PFA supports our community.

Meet Preschool for All’s Evaluation Team!

Janice Cole and Xia Zhang are our senior early learning program evaluators. This means they design and lead evaluation projects with the team. Here are some of the projects planned for the 2025-26 school year:

Interviewing families about their experiences in PFA through our “Family Experience Case Study” project
Continuing our work to understand how families, preschool educators, and kindergarten teachers can best support children and their families during their kindergarten transitions
Studying PFA educator trends like wages, benefits, and turnover

Laura Rodriguez and Mario Olivares are our early learning evaluation analysts. They both bring expert analysis skills to our team. They’re passionate about building positive relationships with PFA families and providers.

Frank Quiroz is our early learning data analyst. Curious about PFA enrollment data? Check out the enrollment dashboard Frank built, available in 5 languages! This will soon be updated this fall with our 2025-26 enrollment data.

Our team wants to say a big thank you to all the families who took part in our evaluation work last year. We hope more families will join us in the future. Your voices matter!

Get to Know Our Partner Organizations

Family Connector Organizations and Family Navigators

young child holding up their hands covered in paint at a table playing with paints

Family Connector Organizations (FCOs) play an important role in supporting families with the application and enrollment process. They can also connect families to community resources available outside of Preschool for All. They provide culturally specific support to families eligible for PFA.

PFA’s Family Connector Organizations are:

Each FCO is home to a Family Navigator who can work with your family to provide culturally specific help. Meet the Family Navigators and find FCO contact information on our application website.

More Partners we Work with to Support Your Family

We are thankful to work with a fantastic group of individuals and organizations each year:

Multnomah Early Childhood Program (MECP) provides special education services to children who have identified developmental delays and disabilities in Multnomah County. Every eligible child has an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Evaluations and services are provided at no cost to families. MECP collaborates with preschool providers and families to address students' goals and needs with daily routines. For information, please visit MECP’s website directly.
Nurse Consultants are now part of PFA to help support students with health needs! Three registered nurses (RNs) work across PFA sites. The nurses review health questionnaires that families fill out to identify conditions like asthma, diabetes, seizures, and severe allergies. Based on this information, they train preschool staff to manage these conditions and administer medication if needed. The nurses can also connect families with valuable community resources, such as health and dental clinics or food pantries. Their goal is to address health concerns that might affect a child's attendance and ensure all students can safely participate in the program.

Fall Resources

Check out the Help Me Grow Network & Swindells Resource Center that provides free online training, workshops, and meet-up groups to families, specifically catering to neurodiverse kiddos and family! They’ve got parent groups, play groups, and plenty of free educational resources for you to check out.
A couple events put on by our partners this fall:
- Resource Fair at David Douglas High School on Friday, November 14, from 4:00–6:30 PM
  - This resource fair will have representatives from various local nonprofit organizations, food boxes for families, fun activities, healthcare sign-ups, and more. PFA representatives will also be there if you have any questions or just want to come say hi!
- Be the Healing: Black Parent Initiative Symposium on Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4 from 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
  - Join BPI and Be the Healing for a free two-day symposium focused on topics like systemic racism, trauma, and healing with a cross-section of community members, including educators, social workers, students, and activists who live and work with children, youth, and adults in the greater Portland area. This event seeks to empower communities with learning that strengthens and fosters resilience, building knowledge and critical awareness.

To learn about more events happening this fall, be sure to follow us on social media @MultcoPreschoolforAll on Instagram and @Preschoolforallmultco on Facebook!

young child playing in a playground with leaves on the ground

Share Your Preschool Story

We have been thankful to connect with so many families about their PFA experiences. Whether through our evaluation team, our communications team, or our community partners, many of you have graciously shared your stories with us. Not only that, but we’ve seen on social media – and in public forums – an outpouring of support for PFA. Thank you!

Interested in sharing your story with us? Has PFA made a positive difference for your family? We’d love to hear about it! Families like yours help others learn about PFA. Your stories inspire future families and help our community understand the positive impact of the program.

Share your preschool story with us using this Google Form.

Thanks for Being Part of this Program!

We’re honored to build Preschool for All with you and your family! Your feedback, stories, and participation help shape the future of early learning in our community.

From all of us at the Multnomah County Preschool & Early Learning Division, thank you for being part of this movement. We’re already excited for what’s ahead this school year.

With gratitude,

The Preschool for All Team