PFA Provider Newsletter - March 2026

The Preschool for All (PFA) Provider Newsletter includes helpful tips and updates for PFA providers.

On this page

  1. Updates
  2. Important Dates and Updates
  3. PFA Provider Portal
  4. Inclusion
  5. CEED Evaluation Corner
  6. Resources
  7. Upcoming Trainings and Professional Development
  8. In Case You Missed It…

*Note: Preschool for All wants to share information in any language our providers need. We also want the translation to be accurate and timely. Because of this, we have moved this month's Provider Newsletter to our website. To read this newsletter in another language, use your browser's translate feature (on a computer, right-click and select "Translate"; on a phone or tablet, use the "Translate" option in your browser menu). We're open to feedback on this new method of delivery! Please email us at preschoolforall@multco.us with any questions or ideas. 

Updates

Provider Engagement Committee Update: February 2026

On February 24, the PFA Provider Engagement Committee met at Rockwood Market Hall to continue our work in improving the provider experience and strengthening the PFA program. Key topics included:

Inclusion and Student Placement:

  • The committee engaged in a deep-dive discussion regarding the current design for placing students with identified delays and disabilities.
  • Committee members shared critical feedback regarding the challenges of high enrollment numbers of children with identified delays and disabilities, including the need for better communication prior to enrollment and the impact of multiple high-needs students in a single classroom.
  • The group brainstormed potential alternatives, such as enrollment caps or ratios for IFSP students, to ensure classroom safety and balanced environments.

Improving Inclusion Supports: 

  • Members participated in a "Start, Stop, Continue" exercise to evaluate current support structures.
  • Feedback highlighted a strong desire for more practical, hands-on support, such as in-person modeling and behavior support specialists, rather than just technical resources or links.
  • There is a call for deeper training for coaches in areas like trauma-informed care and autism support.

New Policy Input: The committee reviewed and provided initial feedback on a draft policy titled Addressing On-Going Low Enrollment and Low Interest at Preschool for All Sites.

 

Important Dates and Updates

Reminder: April 1 Facility Readiness Deadline  

If you have been allocated PFA seats for a new site for the 2026-2027 program year, the facility readiness and insurance requirements deadline for new sites is April 1, 2026. Please keep in touch with your Preschool Specialist about this requirement.

Family Application

  • Wednesday, April 1, 2026: The 2026-2027 Preschool for All (PFA) Family Application opens at 10AM PST.
  • Thursday, April 30, 2026: The 2026-2027 PFA Family Application will close, and will reopen later in the summer.
  • Families can complete this form to get notified when the application opens.
  • Eligible families can apply on our website pfa.multco.us or with the help of a Family Navigator once the application opens. We will send a reminder email to providers on the opening day as well.

PFA Provider Portal

Get Help with the PFA Provider Portal 

Contact the Application and Enrollment Team at pfa.support@multco.us or call 503-988-7818.

Updating Provider Portal Access for Staff

Email pfa.support@multco.us if you need to:

  • Add a new staff member to the Provider Portal
  • Remove a staff member who no longer needs access

Step-by Step Provider Portal Instructions

Need help completing tasks in the Provider Portal? Check out our instructional videos, which are also linked in the Portal’s FAQ section.

Inclusion

Policy Updates for Providers

Based on your feedback, we have updated the Inclusion Policy and the Inclusion Support Funds Guide to add clarity, expand guidance, and better explain how to access support.   

We are grateful for the care and effort you put into making sure all children and families feel welcomed and supported in your programs. Your feedback and experiences help shape policies that are practical, sustainable, and aligned with our shared goal of providing high-quality early learning opportunities for all Multnomah County kids.

If you have questions or would like support, please connect with your Inclusion Coordinator.

Self-Care Resource for Teachers: 

When children show challenging behaviors, having a proactive plan is key to maintaining your composure and responding with intention. This resource helps you stay calm so you can objectively decode what a child’s actions are communicating rather than reacting out of frustration. By mastering these self-regulation strategies, you can transform difficult moments into supportive opportunities for growth and connection.  

Available in multiple languages:

Inclusion Support Funds & Monthly Reporting

PFA uses Inclusion Support Funds (ISF) to help programs welcome and support children with disabilities or special needs. These funds pay for extra support staff in the classroom.

Support staff may help the main teacher with:

  • Supervising children
  • Setting up activities
  • Assisting with calming and self-control support (coregulation)
  • Collecting information (data) 

Support staff are not meant to replace the main teacher's lessons or give one-on-one care.

Providers must submit monthly ISF reports, beginning one month after receiving the first payment. These reports help the Senior Inclusion Coordinator monitor how supports are working and make adjustments if needed. 

Important: You must send these reports to keep getting the funds. If you miss 3 months of reports, your ISF funds will stop until you submit them.

Family Inclusion Support Toolkit

The Family Inclusion Support Toolkit helps providers build strong relationships with families. It offers resources to share with families and training materials to support staff in having thoughtful conversations and connecting families with support when they are experiencing stress and difficult times.

Available in multiple languages: (Ashley will update these links to public)

CEED Evaluation Corner

Since 2021, the Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED) at Boston University has been a research partner with Multnomah County Preschool for All (PFA). Through this partnership, CEED evaluates and helps improve the quality and accessibility of PFA sites for communities across Multnomah County.

CEED-PFA Survey Data Collection

Throughout April, you, your educators, and your families will receive emails titled “Preschool For All Site Leader/Educator/Families Survey 2026!”

We strongly encourage everyone to participate. The surveys are available in English and Spanish for educators and site leaders, and in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese for families. 

Here is an example of an email, from our last year’s data collection, that you may receive:

An example of a survey email from CEED

As a token of appreciation, you will receive an e-gift card within 2-3 weeks of completion.

These surveys are designed to help us better understand your experiences. The feedback collected will help CEED make informed recommendations to PFA leadership to improve overall experiences and strengthen program support.

Thank you in advance for your time, participation, and continued commitment.

To learn more about our partnership, please follow this link:  CEED Partnership Overview 24-25/Russian/Spanish

If you have any questions or any feedback about the survey, feel free to email the CEED team at ceed@bu.edu.

Resources

Post Your Job Openings with Early Learning Works and Multnomah County!

We are working on a Multnomah County job board to share openings at PFA locations! While that is finalized, you can use the Preschool for All Job Posting form created by Portland Community College Early Learning Works. Simply upload information to the form about a job opening(s) you need to fill, and the information will be sent to our Early Learning Career Coaches. These coaches work with individuals seeking employment in the preschool field and can connect your team with qualified applicants! This form is intended to support, not replace, your normal recruitment and hiring practices. 

This form will remain active until we launch an expanded job board visible to the public. We want to create a space to connect early learning and care employers with qualified candidates looking for paid employment in early learning and care.

These forms are available to ANY Preschool for All site. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Brady at christopher.brady@pcc.edu or 971-722-4305. Job Posting Forms are also available in Spanish and Russian.

Upcoming Trainings and Professional Development

Simple Interactions: Set Two Workshops

Relationships are at the heart of our work. Indeed, they are the essential “active ingredient” of human development. Through two 90-minute virtual Set Two workshops (total of 3 hours Set Two certificate), we will gather Multnomah County early childhood educators as a community of relational practice to reflect on the power of relationships in early childhood education. Together we will explore the small, everyday moments that shape a child’s development — the simple, yet remarkably  meaningful interactions between children and the adults who teach and care for them. 

We will introduce Simple Interactions (SI), a practice-based, strengths-focused, inclusion-centered, and community-driven approach designed to support those who serve children and  families. Using the SI tool, we will develop a shared language and lens to recognize,  describe, and strengthen developmental interactions between grown-ups and the children in their care. And, together, we will start to imagine how we might encourage, enrich, and empower the human relationships in our settings through our individual  and collective practice. 

English: Two-Session Training

Spanish: Two-Session Training

Russian & English: Two-Session Training

Training: Curriculum

PFA offers several optional training opportunities for Family Child Care (FCC) providers and centers, including sessions on curriculum-based approaches like Tools of the Mind and HighScope.

To receive certifications for any of these training sessions, participants must register individually, even if joining from the same computer, and attend the full training(s).

Bite of Tools: The Playful Path to Self-Regulation

Did you know that early childhood teachers have a unique opportunity to make a lifelong impact on young children by supporting their development of self-regulation? Play is essential for young children’s development, but there is a specific type of play that propels children’s development of self-regulation.

This workshop is designed to deepen teachers’ understanding of self-regulation and the types of play that can foster its development. Participants will learn how to plan and facilitate children’s engagement in play, assess play development, and use teaching strategies to promote the high-level play that research shows is closely linked with self-regulation development.

Option 1: Full Day Training

Option 2: Two Evening Sessions 

HighScope: The Adult Child–Interaction 

This training introduces participants to HighScope’s principles for responsive, intentional Adult–Child Interactions and how these practices connect to a high-quality learning environment. Educators will explore interaction strategies such as acknowledging children’s ideas, using encouragement, supporting problem solving, and extending children’s thinking through conversations.

The session also examines how the physical and social environment  materials, room setup, accessibility, and teacher presence supports children’s initiative, independence, and engagement. Guided practice and reflection will help educators understand how interactions and environments work together to promote equitable learning outcomes. By the end of the session, participants will be prepared to create emotionally supportive, inclusive, language-rich environments where children are active partners in their learning.

Option 1: 

Evening Session: English/Russian 

Evening Session: Spanish

Option 2

Evening Session: English/Russian 

Evening Session-Spanish

Scaffolding Family Engagement: The Key to Engaging ALL Families In and Out of School 

ParentPowered is partnering with Preschool and Early Learning to deliver a professional learning session focused on Scaffolding Family Engagement. The goal of the series is to equip early learning providers and educators with practical strategies to deepen family partnerships and build home-school connections throughout their preschool years. 

We have offered eight virtual sessions over the last few months, please note that you only need to sign up for ONE session, but you may attend multiple sessions for refreshers if you would like to. 

Register for a virtual session by clicking the link:

Interpretation will be available for all virtual sessions. If you need interpretation, please email preschoolforall@multco.us at least two weeks before the session.

In Case You Missed It…

Handy Links to Frequently Used Resources

Last reviewed March 11, 2026

Was this page helpful?

Select one