Alma and Jonathan Landon are parents to two young children and have lived in Multnomah County for ten years. Their daughter, Catalina, was a member of our first group of Preschool for All students! We sat down with the Landon family to hear more about their experience.
PFA: How did you first hear about Preschool for All?
Alma Landon: We were looking for a preschool for our daughter. We were doing all the research, and on social media, we found an ad for free Preschool for All, and we just went through the process and filled out the application.PFA: How did you choose your preschool provider? Tell us about them.
Alma: When we filled out the application, we were given a list of providers in the Multnomah County area. I went to their websites and looked at their mission statements, did a little bit of my own research, looked up what was the closest to me, and because it was important to me that she was in a multicultural environment – that she had diversity in her environment – that was part of my research as well. We ended up choosing Richmond Academy, as well as a few other choices that would work for our family.
We weren't quite sure about Richmond Academy at first. When I first Googled the address, it came up as a house. We hadn’t considered a home-based program before. So we drove by, and then set up a meeting to check out the place.
Jonathan Landon: We were skeptical about a preschool in someone’s home at first, especially because we had already toured multiple schools or classes in more traditional settings. I didn’t really know home-based preschools were an option, so we were kind of learning the whole process as we went.
Alma: But once we got to meet Teacher Quoya for a tour of her facility, and she told us about her curriculum, we got really excited. That visit eased our worries. Cati is our little girl, our first daughter, so we were kind of nervous letting her go and be somewhere else all day.
After Cati had been going there for a while, I realized that being in a home-based environment for preschool is a great transition between being at home and then going to school. Because she was at home all her toddler years, but now that she's a little bit older, she's understanding “This is school, and now I'm moving on to an elementary school.” So that transition is going to be a little bit easier.PFA: Have you seen any improvements in your child's life because of preschool?
Alma: We’re surprised because she's so little – she's five and she's telling time! She's counting numbers! She was doing math the other day! She was like, “Mom, say five plus four,” and I was just like, “What is five plus four?” and she was like, “It's nine right?”
And another time I was reading her a story and she started telling me short words. She said, “I'm going to read that word. I know what it is!” She had just turned five, and I was surprised because I was thinking, “I didn't start reading until I was seven, and you’re five!” She reads books to her brother, even though she doesn't know all the words. She has read the books before, so she's able to tell the full story to him. And he's so little, he's also learning! He replies to her and it’s gibberish. But they interact with certain learning toys or books.
Preschool has really gotten her development going. She's very aware of a lot more now than she was before, just a year ago or nine months ago.
Jonathan: I'm very satisfied with Richmond Academy and all the hard work they’ve put into it, into the curriculum and to making sure that my daughter is learning.
PFA: What are the benefits of being able to send your child to preschool for free?
Alma: We had toured other facilities and gotten information from other preschools, and most of them were above $1,000 a month. So, it was something where we would have had to sacrifice in order to send our child there for an education, or it was also something that we might have not done at all because it's such a high price tag. A lot of the programs out there are also limited on how many days you go, depending how much you're willing to pay.
Preschool for All ended up being a great benefit for our daughter and a blessing for us. She's able to get an education early on – just the gift of learning at a young age is such a blessing. And for us as parents, it was amazing that we didn't have to financially stress in this area. Without this program, preschool was something that we really had to think about and talk about to see if it was going to be something we could do.
Jonathan: When we found the program, it was such a relief. We’ve been able to give her the education that we want, and have her interact and spend time with other kids, and at the same time, we ‘re not stressing our finances.
And our daughter has gotten a really good education. She's at a level that surprises us sometimes. We’re happy we’ve been able to find quality education for her.
PFA: Why is universal preschool important?
Jonathan: When we were searching for a preschool, every time we found an option we liked, there was a lot of money involved. As parents, I think we all strive for better learning for our kids, and the better education you want, the higher the expense.
Alma: Most of the country doesn't have any programs or resources for working parents and single working parents. A lot of parents – moms especially – can't go to work because they can't afford to pay for preschool. This program allows you to go to work stress-free and not worry about things like stressing the finances. I would love for everyone to have the same opportunity because relieving some of that financial stress has better outcomes: a happier family, a less stressed parent, and happier kids.
Universal preschool is important because education should be free for everybody. Learning should be free for everybody. Being able to better ourselves, and our families, and our children should be free for everyone.
PFA: Do you have any advice for families who want to apply for Preschool for All?
Jonathan: We have benefited from Preschool for All. It has been a blessing. It’s a program that I would definitely recommend for others.
Alma: My advice would be to just do it! And do your research as well. Look up different schools’ mission statements and tour the facilities. Get to know the teachers if that makes you more comfortable! You are trusting someone with your child, and that is everything.
Note: this interview was edited for clarity and length.
