Portland Parks & Recreation has announced that applications for Portland Parks Preschool for the 2026-2027 school year will be open Wednesday, April 1-Thursday, April 30. They are dedicated to providing a play-based, child-centered and inclusive educational preschool program for children ages three to five years old. Play is an important avenue for learning and it is their goal to honor each child where they are in their development.
The Preschool is based on the developmental philosophy that children develop and grow at their own rate. Years of research on children’s learning and development document the many benefits of play and exploration on a child’s intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language development. To grow, children must play by exploring and manipulating their environment. They learn using their senses and as children imitate what is going on around them, they begin to understand how things work and how they are used. Initially, this is a process of trial and error, however, with time and reputation, they use new information to increase their understanding of the world around them. Learn more in the Portland Parks Preschool Participant Handbook at portland.gov/parks/recreation/preschool-handbook.
There are multiple Portland Parks Preschool locations spanning East Portland, SE Portland, N Portland, NE Portland and SW Portland, all taking place at Community Centers. The programs run Monday-Friday, typically 9 am-3 pm, with a few of them starting or ending 15 minutes earlier or later.
Enrollment is based on a lottery managed through Multnomah County’s Preschool for All program. Families can apply at Multnomah Preschool for All or with the help from a Family Navigator; links to access both, as well as more information, can be found at portland.gov/parks/recreation/portland-parks-preschool.