If you live in Multnomah County and have a 3- or 4-year-old, your child may be able to attend preschool this year at no cost to you. Not reduced tuition. Not a sliding scale. Free.

That's Preschool for All, and the application for the 2026–2027 school year is open right now. The county has confirmed seats are still available, including at sites with short waitlists or none at all.

Here's how the program works, whether your family qualifies, and what to do next.

What is Preschool for All?

Preschool for All (PFA) connects 3- and 4-year-olds across Multnomah County to free preschool. It came out of a two-year community planning process in which more than 100 people built a vision for the county's children and families. Voters approved it decisively — 64 percent said yes to Measure 26-214 in November 2020, which directed the Department of County Human Services to run the program.

The program is designed to be culturally responsive and inclusive, and the number of children served grows every year. The original target was for every interested family in the county to have access to free preschool by 2030.

The program is running ahead of that schedule.

The program is closer to universal coverage than anyone expected

In August 2026, Multnomah County released final projections from a demographic study by Portland State University's Population Research Center. The finding: Preschool for All may reach universal coverage well before 2030.

The reason is not that the program slowed down. It's that the number of children it needs to serve turned out to be smaller than the pre-pandemic estimates used when the program was designed.

• Original planning estimates assumed roughly 11,000 seats would be needed for universal coverage.
• The new projection puts that number at roughly 8,000 seats.
• Preschool for All offered more than 7,000 seats to families this year — the largest expansion in the program's history.

The shift comes from a real demographic change. Ethan Sharygin, who directs the Population Research Center at Portland State, described a lasting structural contraction rather than a temporary dip, pointing to regional fertility rates that have fallen 28 percent since 2015 and net out-migration of children. Local school districts are seeing the same thing in shrinking kindergarten classes.

Danisa McLean, the Preschool for All director, called the finalized numbers a triumph for the program and said the commitment to high-quality preschool holds regardless of how many children it ends up serving.

What this means for your family: the gap between "want a seat" and "have a seat" is narrowing faster than planned. But it isn't closed yet. Applying still matters, and applying early still matters.

Who qualifies for Preschool for All?

The eligibility rules are short, and there is no income test. To qualify, a child must be:

• 3 or 4 years old by September 1st of the preschool year, and
• Have a parent or legal guardian living in Multnomah County.

That's the entire list. Family income does not affect eligibility. Immigration status is not a factor. If your child meets the age requirement and you live in the county, you can apply.

How the seat math actually works

Understanding how the county counts helps explain why seats open up in some neighborhoods and not others.

Portland State's medium-growth scenario — the one Preschool for All uses for planning — projects just under 14,000 Multnomah County residents aged 3 and 4 in 2026, falling to just over 13,000 by 2030. Preschool for All does not need a seat for every one of those children.

The county's formula assumes about 22.5 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds are either in private preschool or in families not seeking preschool at all. On top of that, more than 2,000 children already receive free or subsidized preschool through other programs such as Head Start, Preschool Promise, or Baby Promise. Subtract both groups and you arrive at the roughly 8,000 seats needed for universality.

The county plans to commission updated projections every few years, so these numbers will be revised again.

How to apply for the 2026–2027 school year

The application is open now and lives on the county's PFA portal.

1. Confirm eligibility — age by September 1, and a parent or guardian residing in Multnomah County.
2. Watch the openings list. The county publishes a Preschools with Openings PDF and updates it frequently. It flags sites with low or no waitlist, which is the fastest route to a seat.
3. Submit the family application at the county's application portal.
4. Ask for help if you get stuck. The county staffs a dedicated application support line at 503-988-7818 and an email address at pfa.support@multco.us. General program questions go to 503-988-1280 or preschoolforall@multco.us.

If you're new to the program, the county produced a short orientation video walking through what PFA is and what you'll need before you start. It's available in English plus Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

Choosing a provider — what to look at beyond availability

An open seat is not the same as the right seat. A few things worth weighing:

• Setting. PFA providers include both in-home programs and larger centers. Smaller in-home settings often mean lower child-to-adult ratios and more consistency in who greets your child each morning. Centers may offer more structure and broader age ranges.
• Age range served. Some providers care only for preschool-aged children. Others serve infants through school age, which matters if you have or plan to have more than one child in care.
• Special needs experience. Ask directly about experience with developmental delays, behavioral support, and medically complex children. Not every provider has it.
• Wraparound hours. PFA covers a preschool day. If you work a full shift, you'll need a provider who can cover the hours on either side.
• Transportation. A handful of providers can help with transportation depending on location and schedule. Ask early — it can decide the whole thing.

About the Preschool for All tax

Preschool for All is funded by a marginal personal income tax on higher earners in Multnomah County. That funding structure has been under active review through the summer of 2026.

The county's Technical Advisory Group — an independent body required by the original ballot measure — recommended delaying a proposed 0.08 percent increase in the tax by two years, to 2029 instead of 2027. Economic modeling using the new population projections showed the program can still operate under that delay. Chair Jessica Vega Pederson announced her proposal to adopt that recommendation, with the Board's final votes scheduled for late August 2026.

For families, the practical takeaway is simple: the program is funded, seats are being offered, and the application is open. Tax-schedule changes affect who pays, not whether your child can attend.

Where Family Cares Daycare fits

Family Cares Daycare is an approved Preschool for All provider. James and Anita Bates Hunter started the program as a single in-home childcare in September 2009 and have grown it to six locations across Portland and Gresham — a mix of in-home preschool programs and full centers serving children from six weeks to 12 years old.

The programs are licensed by the State of Oregon and have long experience caring for children with special needs, behavioral support needs, and complex medical needs. Alongside Preschool for All, Family Cares accepts ERDC, Baby Promise, Labor's program funding, and private pay. Transportation is available at some locations depending on schedule.

If you're working through the PFA application and want to talk to a provider directly about openings and fit, get in touch.

Check Our Preschool for All Openings   Call 971-404-9518