Multnomah County expects its universal preschool program to see a significant boost in enrollment, starting next fall. On Thursday morning, the county announced plans to offer more than 7,400 Preschool for All seats to early education providers for the 2026-27 school year. If providers take the county up on the offer, it will nearly double Preschool for All’s current enrollment capacity of roughly 3,800 seats, placing the program in a strong position to meet its goal of universal preschool access by 2030.

The county’s announcement should come as much-needed good news for Preschool for All, which has faced heightened scrutiny in recent months. The program, which was approved by nearly two-thirds of county voters in 2020, is funded through a tax on high-earning residents. The tax has raked

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