Multnomah County, Ore. (Dec. 11, 2025) — Multnomah County announced today that it has made a preliminary offering of 7,460 Preschool for All seats to providers for the 2026-27 school year. This initial allocation is an exciting step forward, and has the potential to nearly double the current enrollment capacity of 3,844 seats. The allocation is 65% higher than the 4,500-seat growth target for 2026-27, and even surpasses the original pre-pandemic target of 6,500 to 7,000 seats.
It’s important to note that this is the first step in a multi-stage process. The final confirmed number of seats will naturally be lower based on the final decisions of providers to participate and the successful completion of all necessary logistical requirements, such as site construction and passing final facility inspections.
The seat allocation reflects a high demand for seats from preschool providers. It’s also a response to the County's efforts to expand local early childhood conditions and infrastructure. Overall, the number of seats requested by existing providers increased by approximately 60% for the upcoming school year. The surge in demand, combined with strong interest from new providers, will allow the County to offer far more seats than previously announced.
“Our growth reflects years of intentional outreach and engagement from the dedicated staff in the Preschool & Early Learning Division,” said interim PEL director Rachel Pearl. “This allocation speaks to a high level of provider interest and capacity, and it positions us to serve many more children across Multnomah County.”
Over half of new Preschool for All providers are small businesses. The preliminary seats offered for FY27 are distributed across 192 providers operating at 364 sites. This growth includes 66 new providers, underscoring the program’s commitment to expanding with a combination of existing and current providers. These allocated seats directly translate to a massive economic benefit for county residents, saving a Multnomah County family roughly $18,600 annually per child.
- The program allocated seats to 187 family child care sites as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting smaller, home-based providers.
- Many new providers joining PFA speak a primary language other than English, broadening access for families with different cultural and linguistic needs.
- Current providers are showing confidence in PFA by adding 64 new PFA sites through a combination of new seats and seats that were converted from private to publicly-funded. From this year’s projected seat growth, over 2,000 of the new PFA seats are coming from existing providers.
Shaquoya Burns-Richmond, the founder of Richmond Learning Academy, is one of the many providers who requested additional seats. Preschool for All funds allowed her to open a second location in East Portland, creating 40 new seats that previously didn’t exist.
“Preschool for All has helped me grow my small business, pay early childhood educators a living wage, and serve our community as a preschool provider,” Burns-Richmond said. “Because of Preschool for All, early childhood education is finally becoming affordable for thousands of families in our community.”
Next steps for families and providers
The 7,460 seats for the 2026-27 school year represent the County's offering to providers after they submitted formal requests. This allocation is directly based on the providers' demonstrated demand and readiness to participate in the program.
Providers must confirm their seat allocation by Dec. 15, 2025. Following that, their site must meet the facility readiness deadline and the insurance requirements. Final Fiscal Year 2027 seat numbers will be confirmed in the spring.
Families interested in applying for free, high-quality preschool for their eligible 3- and 4-year-olds should visit the application website at pfa.multco.us.
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