SALEM — Oregon lawmakers plan to spend more than $67 million over the next two years to significantly expand publicly funded preschools, under a bill moving forward in the final days of the legislative session.

The proposal would pay for more than 4,000 new preschool slots in public and private programs. It comes as lawmakers speak of the importance of high-quality early childhood education to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and support mothers who disproportionately exited the workforce during the pandemic.

Although sizable, the potential expansion under Senate Bill 5513 is roughly two-thirds as large as Gov. Kate Brown proposed for the two-year budget that begins in July. Brown called for more than $100 million to add approximately 6,000 openings for preschool students.

On Tuesday, June 22, the governor’s deputy communications director Charles Boyle described the Legislature’s plan as a step in the right direction.

“It’s critical that we make investments now for our working families and children, particularly after a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted working families from historically underserved communities,” Boyle wrote in an email. “This is a great start that we will need to build on in future years.”

Oregon only serves 30% of the children and families who are eligible for publicly funded early childhood programs, according to the education department.