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Multnomah County auditor finds Preschool for All has expanded access but flags communication, provider support and growth risks
Summary
An auditor’s performance audit found Preschool for All has reached many priority children and grown participating sites, but auditors recommended 16 actions to improve transparency, outreach, provider supports and facilities planning as the county works toward universal preschool capacity.
Multnomah County’s auditor presented a performance audit of the Preschool for All program that found the initiative has expanded seats for many children from priority groups but that shortcomings in communications, provider supports and facilities planning pose risks to the program’s longer‑term goal of universal preschool.
Jennifer McGwirk, Multnomah County Auditor, and staff auditors Mandy Hood and Caroline Zavitzkowski presented the audit and 16 recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. Department leaders said they accept the recommendations and will work with the auditor’s office to implement them.
The audit reviewed program data, contracts and interviews with 63 stakeholders including program staff, participating and nonparticipating providers and families. Auditors reported 133 participating sites as of the briefing (11 added mid‑school‑year) and said nearly 2,000 children were enrolled before the midyear additions; the auditors did not provide a post‑midyear total during the presentation.
Fiscal data presented by the auditor showed Preschool for All reported about $201,000,000 in revenue for fiscal year 2024 and $60,000,000 in expenditures that fiscal year; auditors reported a fund balance of $485,000,000 at the end of FY24 and said program leaders expect some years will run a deficit while the savings buffer is used. Auditors recommended updating budgets and forecasts to better reflect actual spending patterns and to communicate those assumptions to the board and public.
Auditors identified four main findings: leaders need to communicate program changes more clearly; Preschool for All has reached many families in priority groups but the share declined in 2024–25; providers need more support to serve children with disabilities and other priority needs; and the program faces risks to expansion that require clearer facilities‑fund guidelines and workforce development tracking.
On prioritization, the auditors noted that a majority of applicants and enrollees reported at least one priority condition in earlier years, but that the share of applicants with priorities fell to about 77% in the 2024–25 school year. The auditors said family choice in ranking preschool preferences and automatic continuations from infant/toddler programs contributed to lower‑priority families occupying slots at some programs.
The audit praised supports the program has created — including coaching contracts with Mount Hood Community College and the Multnomah Education Services School District and a new inclusion team and inclusion fund to help providers serve children with disabilities — but said providers still request more specialized coaching and language‑concordant coaches.
To address risks and improve transparency, auditors recommended verifying applicant priority claims (at minimum verifying income documentation), publishing seat availability by site, harmonizing priority language across communications and contracts, creating focused outreach for groups omitted from the revised contracts (for example migrant and refugee families, teen parents and families affected by incarceration or substance use), and clarifying facilities‑fund guidelines and reporting.
Mandy Hood and Caroline Zavitzkowski, who led the audit work, also urged making the provider guide and program scoring outcomes available to applicants and tracking why applications fail so the county can better assist providers who want to join the program.
Department leadership told the board they generally agreed with the audit’s findings and will discuss timelines for implementing recommendations. Leslie Barnes, director of the Preschool and Early Learning Division, said many recommendations align with work already in progress and noted the division’s practice of offering technical assistance and repeat application opportunities for providers.
Commissioners asked for follow‑up on several items including verification of income for priority weighting, more granular data on seats by site and schedule type, details on how the facilities fund prioritizes projects, and periodic follow‑up reporting from the auditor’s office on recommendation implementation. The auditor’s office said it will follow up on the 16 recommendations and report back on their status.
