This Summer, Preschool Promise marked a major milestone: five years of statewide implementation. Director Chatterjee welcomed families, providers, and partners to celebrate the program’s growth and impact across Oregon’s communities at a Preschool Promise graduation event hosted at North Salem High School’s Early Learning Center.
“We are proud to celebrate five years of keeping our bold promise to Oregon’s children and families,” said Chatterjee. “Preschool Promise has grown from a small pilot into a transformative statewide program rooted in equity, family choice, and community partnership.”
Preschool Promise serves Oregon’s three- and four-year-olds from families earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Launched in 2016 as a small, regional pilot, the program expanded in 2020 statewide and now serves more than 5,200 children across all 36 counties. Of the slots awarded by the Oregon Legislature, 96% of slots were filled in the 2024-2025 school year, a figure that has grown steadily since the program expanded statewide.
“Each day, we get to spend quality time with children–most of whom may not have had access to preschool prior to Preschool Promise,” said Stephanie Whetzel, Director of Early Learning Programs, Salem-Keizer Public Schools. “We see the benefits and hear that our students we teach are more prepared for kindergarten.”