Skip to main content
Everybody loves a secret menu. How else can you explain Oregonians’ fixation on the day they can enjoy animal-style fries without a drive to Woodburn? And yet, do we detect a hint of class envy in the responses to the news that Micah Camden, longtime king of the Portland drive-thru, has turned his attention to curating snack time at an upscale preschool in Dunthorpe (“Happy Meals,” WW, Jan. 21)? It’s not just “Micah’s muffins” on the $2,500-a-month menu at Pinecone Childcare. The pre-K campus includes an apple orchard, a tropical fish tank, and a sandbox filled with sand from the Oregon Dunes. Multnomah County doesn’t subsidize that. Here’s what our readers had to say:
pony pony huckabuck, via Bluesky: “Could hardly read this article because my eyes were involuntarily rolling every other sentence.
“It’s cool that your 3-year-old can set the table because you paid $2,500 (!?) a month for that. My 2.5-year-olds can set the table, and I taught them that for the low price of $0, but I guess I’m just built different.
“As a former cook myself at a Reggio school that bent over backwards as a program in an attempt to only admit the worthy poor, and as a longtime hater of this specific guy and proponent of P4A, this article was written specifically to drive me specifically insane.”
AndMyHelcarax, via Reddit: “Why is the article so weird? Like Dunthorpe residents haven’t put kids in private programs and schools before.
“I was hoping it would be a little more about the food, cooking for 50 kids sounds interesting.”
The_squirlr, via Reddit: “I thought the comparison between this type of center and Preschool for All slots was bizarre. They are two totally separate, non-overlapping markets.
“If Toyota offered great incentives to buy a Corolla, you really think the person (living in Dunthorpe) is going to have second thoughts about their Porsche?”
Adrienne, via week.com: “If only people with an extra $2,500 a month are going to get in-depth, quality education while everyone else struggles with Preschool for All, which won’t even be able to serve all the kids that need it for another couple of years. And I can promise that kids in that program won’t get the same outdoor enrichment, food quality, and educator attention that the private school kids get. If you want equality, you can’t let people with money opt into better options. This is like what happens with state colleges vs. Ivy Leagues, except you’re doing it with toddlers.”
Rose Soccer Basketball, in reply: “You’re making a big assumption that Instagram-ready rain boots and Micah’s muffins equate to better educational outcomes. Or that Preschool for All programs lack for quality. Or even that Ivy League schools actually provide better educations than state colleges.
“But the bottom line is that money buys options—it always has and it always will. Housing options, vacation options, diet options, health care options, and education and child care options. The rich will always do rich people things with their money.
“The only issue I have is with people who choose to send their children to places like Pinecone simultaneously complaining about having to pay taxes for P4A because they aren’t using it. They’re making a choice.
“What the wealthy do with their money is generally not a concern of mine, but making sure the nonwealthy have affordable access to quality schools is. They both can coexist, but opting out of the latter in favor of the former doesn’t mean you get to opt out of your societal responsibility to ensure quality child care and early education for all.”
No_Cat_No_Cradle, via Reddit: “I bet those 3-year-olds really enjoy knowing that the sand comes from the Oregon Dunes.”
ForkAKnife, via Reddit: “Anyone who has worked in a day care with a sandbox knows that you can’t really use it because cats pee in there. Maybe upper-crust people don’t have cats or something, but shipping in sand from the coast seems like too much for a glorified litter box.”
Yoloyeet420, via Reddit: “Haha, thats my ex-in-laws’ neighbors, my ex-wife’s grandma’s old house! The folks who run it are very sweet, seems like they really care for the kids. Nightmare parking situation, but that’s the only complaints from the neighbor.”
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to:
P.O. Box 10770
Portland, OR 97296
Email: amesh@wweek.com
