Coalition

As socialists, we believe that to have an equitable society, we must provide care and education for all from birth through college. Universal Preschool NOW! is a transformative campaign that expands the right of public education to include preschool. We fight for families, women, children, and workers to remake our society into one that respects and prioritizes care, education, and human enrichment over profit."

Universal preschool is not only proven to benefit child development and improve their economic outcomes later in life, but it's also really important for working parents, especially single mothers, who are already struggling to make ends meet, put food on the table, and scrape together the exorbitant cost of childcare in Oregon."

Many families are burdened with monthly childcare costs as high as their rent or mortgage payment. Meanwhile, childcare workers (many of which are women) often report wages so low that they can't afford to send their own children to preschool. This affects graduation rates, the gender pay gap, employment, and incarceration rates. This is very much a feminist issue and Oregon NOW is proud to endorse this campaign."

Kids deserve a good start in life, parents deserve to go to work knowing their kids are thriving, and early childhood teachers deserve a fair, livable wage. The ILWU OADC is proud to support a brighter future for our fellow workers and their families. We endorse Universal Preschool NOW!"

In over ten years serving Portland workers through my role at the Northwest Oregon Labor Council I have seen the way our current system for early childhood education hurts families and workers. I am proud to support the UpNow campaign because it emphasizes getting every kid preschool that is free, excellent, year-round, and offered in a variety of locations, settings, and languages. Preschool workers and teachers will receive living wages, free continuing education, and have the opportunity to organize. This is an amazing opportunity for the working people of Multnomah County." – Bob Tackett, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Northwest Oregon Labor Council

The League of Women Voters of Portland wholeheartedly supports this proposal for a publicly funded year-round preschool program for all Multnomah County children. A quality public education, beginning in pre-kindergarten, is essential for a strong, viable, and sustainable democratic society and is a civil right. Additionally, the first five years of a child’s life are crucial in building the foundation for future educational attainment and achieving success in later life."

REA believes that all children deserve a high quality education, including preschool. We’re excited to support the Universal Preschool Now campaign, which would help so many of the families that we serve in East Multnomah County."

At 350PDX we believe that climate justice demands a broader view of what ‘acting on climate’ means in our communities. This includes the growing understanding that care work is climate work, with jobs that have some of the lowest carbon impact while helping our communities thrive. Care work, particularly in-home, is also disproportionately done by low-paid women of color, who are often left out of policy discussions that impact them intimately. Compensating them justly and recognizing the integral role they play in our communities is part of a Just Transition and a Green New Deal. We are proud to stand with Universal Preschool NOW because the fight for a just, low-carbon economy must put a focus on raising standards for children, families and care workers alike."

We are proud to endorse the Universal Preschool Now campaign not only because all children deserve a fair chance at life regardless of background or families ability to pay but also because parents deserve the peace of mind to know their children are being cared for when they go to work. Furthermore, the workers who educate and take care of our children deserve a fair living wage and the ability to organize a Union. CWA Local 7901 believes now is the time for Multnomah County."

The twenty diverse organizations of the Portland Metro People’s Coalition support the Universal Preschool Now Campaign because it takes a giant step toward our vision: a Portland metro area that meets the needs of the many rather than the privileged few, with public services that are free to all, pay a living wage, and are funded through a fair tax system where people contribute according to their incomes. We urge everyone to get behind taxing the incomes of the top 5% of income earners to fund free, high quality and culturally diverse preschool for all Multnomah County three and four year old children."

BerniePDX members voted to endorse the ballot measure for Universal Preschool in Multnomah County (UP NOW)! Early childhood education is so important. It has been shown to increase graduation rates, reduce incarceration, and lower unemployment. Unfortunately, preschool is cost prohibitive for many families.

UP NOW will create high-quality preschool for children in Multnomah County by instituting a small tax on the top 5% of income earners. Universal preschool will benefit our children and our community as a whole. It’s time for us to join cities like DC, NYC, and Chicago and provide universal preschool to our kids!"

UPNOW! is an exciting and forward-looking program the workers in the Grand Central Bakery Union are proud to endorse. Many people here at the bakery have young families, and know all too well the prohibitive cost of preschool and childcare in an economy where both parents often work to make ends meet- sometimes multiple jobs. All kids should have preschool available to them, free at the point of service - universal preschool will make a real difference in the quality of life in our county. We especially like the emphasis on fair compensation and real respect for the work preschool teachers and workers perform each day in their jobs. Please vote for Universal Preschool Now!"

The Portland Youth Climate Action Team enthusiastically endorses UP NOW! because in order to gain climate justice, we need racial justice, gender justice, economic justice, and equal educational access for all. When we fix the problem of low income, primarily BIPOC communities having unequal access to education, we can start to move toward to a brighter and more equitable future that works for everyone!"

As an organization working to protect and empower American Muslims, we recognize that equal access to education is a civil right. Universal preschool will play a critical role in addressing the barriers and inequities in education faced by the Muslim communities we represent. CAIR endorses the Universal Preschool Now campaign because it is an investment in equality for all of our communities."

Part of the Alliance for Democracy’s mission is to create a just society based on an equitable, sustainable economy. We strongly support the Multnomah County Universal Preschool citizens’ initiative, creating free universal preschool and funded by a tax on the highest incomes, as a major move toward creating the just society and sustainable economy we envision."