Oregon department of education doles out millions in under-enrolled preschool program, up to $229K per student

Over the last two years, Village Childcare Enterprises in Oregon has received over $600,000, designed to service 33 preschoolers from low-income families in 2020-2021, and 20 preschoolers in 2021-2022. During that time, though, the center reported fewer than ten students enrolled in the program.

Rather than an anomaly, the experience of Village Childcare Enterprises is just one example of millions of dollars that has been given to early learning facilities in Oregon—even when they have sat empty or with just a fraction of available spaces filled.

Oregon’s Preschool Promise program was launched in 2016 in order to provide publicly funded preschool to families 200% below the federal poverty limit. The Oregon Department of Education’s Early Learning Division awards “slots” to childcare facilities—each one representing one student and being worth approximately $14,000.