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As Multnomah County officials try to plot out the next decade of Preschool for All, the rates reimbursed to providers have come back into the spotlight.
That spending affects financial modeling and such politically dicey topics as indexing the tax to inflation. The bulk of county commissioners are keen to learn how financial choices will affect the program’s operations before making any decisions about the taxing mechanism.
Two presentations on Jan. 27 showed providers are increasingly skeptical that the county’s current rates—$16,536 per seat for a six-hour day during the school year, and $23,592 for a 10-hour seat during the calendar year—are sustainable long term.
Much of the concern centers on inclusion support funding, or funding for young preschoolers with disabilities or developmental delays. Preschool providers told commissioners they are largely left guessing about the makeup of their enrollment ahead of the first day of school, and many have struggled with classrooms where, at times, more than 60% of children require additional support. (Providers said they’re not provided with advance information about their students, and thus are not always prepared to serve them.)
The county’s inclusion funds are difficult to access and confusing to wade through, others said.
Executive director Angie Garcia of Escuela Viva told commissioners: “Providers need lower ratios and the ability to fund additional staff when classrooms have additional high-need students, [and] hands-on practical training and consultation tied to the children they are actually serving.”
