Congratulations to the Universal Preschool Now (UPNow) campaign for gathering more than enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot in Multnomah County! UPNow will provide two years of free preschool, 5 days per week to any family that wants to participate. It also benefits teachers through a wage floor of $18/hour and professional development.

The 350PDX Green New Deal team supports UPNow over a separate proposal from Multnomah County because:

• UPNow will offer pre-school to every household, not just low income households.
  • There is an abundance of research showing that means-tested programs are more likely to be subject to cuts and underfunding because they serve a marginalized population. Universal programs, like social security, are more difficult to take away because they benefit everyone.
  • Means testing adds administrative costs, taking funds away from the actual initiative.
  • Equity for BIPOC and low income kids is served when diverse income groups are integrated into programming.
• UPNow uses a tax on the top 5% highest-income households to fund its program fully, from the beginning, whereas the County’s initiative has not yet determined its source of funds.  With this funding mechanism in place, UPNow will guarantee a place in preschool for every child.

UPNow is endorsed by 350PDX, Portland Association of Teachers, Jobs with Justice, and Indigenous Come Up, among others.