This past spring, the Preschool for All Facilities Fund awarded IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization) grants totaling $1.1 million toward construction of IRCO Early Beginnings at Glisan Landing, a dedicated preschool space at IRCO’s first co-developed affordable housing site in NE Portland. This recent award is a significant milestone in both IRCO’s and Multnomah County’s commitment to providing early childhood education that meets the diverse needs of families in our community.
Staff at IRCO, including Director of Development & Communications Jenny Bremner, have dedicated years to developing the vision for a project that will not only provide young children access to a free preschool education, but also addresses the unique needs of the immigrant and refugee families the organization serves.
“I get emotional about this project, because it’s something I had a vision for many years ago,” says Bremner. “I had young kids, and I would walk through our waiting rooms and think, ‘We have these new arrivals, families with adults waiting to go to ESL classes, meet with their career coach, get jobs… and their little sweet babies are running all over the place.’ It’s the most wonderful thing, talking to these kids, but it also made me think, ‘Wouldn't it be cool if we could have an on-site, classroom setting, learning experience for these kids while their parents were accessing IRCO’s programming?”
After conducting a community needs assessment, Bremner and her colleagues could see that there was overwhelming support and a clear need for a multicultural preschool – specifically, one that would provide a culturally inclusive curriculum and employ teachers representing IRCO’s diverse community.
The dream began about six years ago with a single pilot preschool classroom, first housed in a church space, and then eventually at Indian Hill Elementary in Aloha. With the availability of facilities funding through Preschool for All, IRCO’s early learning program is ready for its next chapter: the creation of a dedicated preschool building with space for the program to grow, co-located with affordable housing and with easy access to the wraparound services and supports that IRCO offers.
“When we decided to house two classrooms at our 74th & Glisan site, we committed to a place where children can learn and child care job seekers can be trained. We committed to a lot of outdoor play space, high ceilings, lots of natural light – overall, just an interactive and culturally responsive learning environment,” Bremner said of her team’s dreams for the space.
Despite the challenges of funding such a costly endeavor – construction alone will cost $3.5 million in total – Bremner and the team at IRCO have made a way. Working closely with BuildUp Oregon, the administrator of both the PFA Facilities Fund and the Oregon Housing & Community Services Child Care Co-location Fund, IRCO has been able to take on this innovative and complex project while keeping quality and accessibility at the forefront.
“I'm thrilled that there's been an effort to streamline and simplify the process. It was a relief to have a relatively simple, straightforward application with a high return. And I really appreciate seeing substantial money invested in this arena.’”
Preschool providers have historically faced difficulties when it comes to financing construction and renovation projects. Like IRCO, many providers partner with publicly funded programs like Preschool for All and Preschool Promise because these programs ensure that preschool programs are available to families without cost.
“We're never going to charge for our services,” Bremner said. “And it's going to cost a lot more to run a preschool classroom than it does some other programs. The expenses and the overhead are high. But there’s also a lot of need there, and the return is enormous. This is a really wise investment.”
As IRCO moves forward with Early Beginnings: Glisan Landing, set to open its doors in 2026, community members, parents, and advocates can look forward to a truly special new community space. The preschool at 74th and Glisan is not merely a building; it’s a symbol of our community’s commitment to nurturing the next generation.
For more information or to contribute to the next phase of IRCO’s capital campaign, which will include a second co-located early learning and affordable housing site in Gresham, visit https://irco.org/services/early-learning/.
