1.This Act may be cited as the
Paul Wellstone Early Educator Loan
Forgiveness Act
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)(A)The first 5 years of a child’s life are a
time of momentous change.
(B)Research shows that a child’s brain size
doubles between birth and age 3.
(2)New scientific research shows that the
electrical activity of the brain cells actually changes the physical structure
of the brain, and that without a stimulating environment, a baby’s brain
suffers.
(3)Research also indicates that there is a
connection between the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical stimulation
young children receive from their early childhood teachers and caregivers and
success in learning, school readiness, and intellectual growth. There are
important short- and long-term effects of that stimulation on cognition and
social development.
(4)High quality early childhood education
correlates with better language development, mathematics abilities, and social
skills.
(5)11,900,000 children younger than age 5
spend part of their time with a child care provider other than a parent. By
2000, 64 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in some type of preschool
program. Demand for child care is growing as more mothers enter the
workforce.
(6)Good quality child care, in a healthy and
safe environment, with trained, caring providers who provide age-appropriate,
developmentally appropriate, and effective activities, helps children grow and
thrive. Recent research shows that most child care needs significant
improvement.
(7)Good quality child care depends largely on
the provider, yet providers of child care earn on average $8.47 per hour, or
$17,610 per year. Such earnings cause high annual turnover, up to 31 percent of
the staff in some child care programs. High turnover affects the overall
quality of a child care program and causes anxiety for children.
(8)Children attending lower quality child care
programs and child care programs with high staff turnover are less competent in
language and social development than other children.
(9)The quality of child care is primarily
related to high staff-to-child ratios, staff education, professional
development, and administrators’ prior experience. In addition, certain
characteristics distinguish poor, mediocre, and good quality child care
programs, the most important of which are teacher wages, education, and
specialized training.
(10)Each State requires kindergarten teachers
to hold at least a bachelor’s degree and certificate in early childhood
education. 20 States and the District of Columbia require teachers in State
prekindergarten programs to satisfy those requirements, which programs in many
States are delivered in child care programs, schools, and Head Start
programs.
3.Loan forgiveness for
child care providersSection
428K of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078–11) is amended to
read as follows:
428K.Loan forgiveness
for child care providers
(a)The purposes of this section are—
(1)to bring more highly trained individuals
into the early childhood education profession; and
(2)to keep more highly educated and trained
early childhood educators in the early child care field for longer periods of
time.
(b)In this section:
(1)The term child
care facility means a facility, including a home, that—
(A)provides child care services; and
(B)meets applicable State or local government
licensing, certification, approval, or registration requirements.
(2)The term child
care services means activities and services provided for the education
and care of children from birth until enrollment in kindergarten by an
individual who has a degree in early childhood education or a closely related
field, including a preschool teacher.
(3)The term degree means an
associate or baccalaureate degree awarded by an institution of higher
education.
(4)Early childhood
educationThe term
early childhood education means education and development at the
early childhood level, including the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical
education and development of a child.
(5)Eligible
preschool program providerThe term eligible preschool program
provider means a preschool program provider serving children younger
than the age of compulsory school attendance in the State that is—
(A)a public or private school;
(B)a provider that is supported, sponsored,
supervised, or administered by a local educational agency;
(C)a Head Start agency designated under the
Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et
seq.); or
(D)a child care facility.
(6)Institution of
higher educationNotwithstanding section 102, the term
institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in
section 101.
(7)The term
preschool teacher means an individual—
(A)who is working toward or has received at
least an associate degree in early childhood education or who is working toward
or who has already received a baccalaureate degree in early childhood
education; and
(B)who works for an eligible preschool program
provider supporting the children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical
development.
(c)
(1)The Secretary may
carry out a program of assuming the obligation to repay, pursuant to subsection
(d), a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under this part, part D (excluding
loans made under sections 428B and 428C or comparable loans made under part D),
or part E for any new borrower after the date of enactment of the Higher
Education Amendments of 1998, who—
(A)receives a degree in early childhood
education;
(B)obtains employment in a child care
facility, such as employment as a preschool teacher; and
(C)has been employed full time, for the time
period described in subsection (d), as a provider of child care services in a
child care facility that serves low-income children.
(2)
(A)Subject to subparagraph
(B), loan repayment under this section shall be on a first-come, first-served
basis and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(B)The Secretary shall give priority in
providing loan repayment under this section for a fiscal year to student
borrowers who received loan repayment under this section for the preceding
fiscal year.
(3)The Secretary is authorized to prescribe
such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this
section.
(d)
(1)
(A)In the case of a new
borrower who receives a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education, the
Secretary shall assume the obligation to repay—
(i)after the second consecutive year of
employment described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subsection (c)(1), 20
percent of the total amount of all loans described in subsection (c)(1) and
made after the date of enactment of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, to
such borrower;
(ii)after the third consecutive year of such
employment, 20 percent of the total amount of all such loans; and
(iii)after each of the fourth and fifth
consecutive years of such employment, 30 percent of the total amount of all
such loans.
(B)In the case of a new
borrower who receives an associate degree in early childhood education, the
Secretary shall assume the obligation to repay—
(i)after the first year of employment
described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subsection (c)(1), 20 percent of the
total amount of all loans described in subsection (c)(1) and made after the
date of enactment of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, to such
borrower;
(ii)after the second consecutive year of such
employment, 20 percent of the total amount of all such loans; and
(iii)after each of the third and fourth
consecutive years of such employment, 30 percent of the total amount of all
such loans.
(2)Nothing in this section shall be construed
to authorize the refunding of any repayment of a loan made, insured, or
guaranteed under this part, part D, or part E.
(3)If a portion of a loan is repaid by the
Secretary under this section for any year, the proportionate amount of interest
on such loan that accrues for such year shall be repaid by the
Secretary.
(4)In the case in which a
student borrower who is not participating in loan repayment pursuant to this
section returns to an institution of higher education after graduation from an
institution of higher education for the purpose of obtaining a degree in early
childhood education, the Secretary is authorized to assume the obligation to
repay the total amount of loans described in subsection (c)(1) and incurred for
a maximum of 2 academic years in returning to the institution of higher
education for the purpose of obtaining the degree in early childhood education.
Such loans shall only be repaid for borrowers who qualify for loan repayment
pursuant to the provisions of this section, and shall be repaid in accordance
with the provisions of paragraph (1).
(5)Ineligibility
of national service award recipientsNo student borrower may, for the same
service, receive a benefit under both this section and subtitle D of title I of
the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.).
(e)Repayment to
eligible lenders and holdersThe Secretary shall pay to each eligible
lender or holder for each fiscal year an amount equal to the aggregate amount
of the lender’s or holder’s loans that are subject to repayment pursuant to
this section for such year.
(f)Application for
repayment
(1)Each eligible
individual desiring loan repayment under this section shall submit a complete
and accurate application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(2)An eligible individual may apply for loan
repayment under this section after completing the applicable years of
qualifying employment described in subsection (d)(1). The borrower shall
receive forbearance while engaged in qualifying employment described in
subsection (d)(1) unless the borrower is in deferment while so engaged.
(g)
(1)The Secretary shall
conduct, by grant or contract, an independent national evaluation of the impact
of the program assisted under this section on the field of early childhood
education.
(2)The grant or contract
described in paragraph (1) shall be awarded on a competitive basis.
(3)The evaluation described in this subsection
shall—
(A)determine the number of individuals who
applied and the number of individuals who were assisted by the program under
this section;
(B)determine the number of individuals who
remain employed in an early childhood education program as a result of
participation in the program;
(C)identify the barriers to the effectiveness
of the program, including barriers related to the dissemination of information
about the program;
(D)assess the cost-effectiveness of the
program in improving the quality of—
(i)early childhood education; and
(ii)child care services;
(E)identify the reasons why participants in
the program have chosen to take part in the program;
(F)identify the number of individuals
participating in the program who received an associate degree and the number of
such individuals who received a baccalaureate degree; and
(G)identify the number of years each
individual participated in the program.
(4)Interim and
final evaluation reportsThe
Secretary shall prepare and submit to the President and Congress such interim
reports regarding the evaluation described in this subsection as the Secretary
determines to be appropriate, and shall prepare and so submit a final report
regarding the evaluation by not later than January 1, 2009.
(h)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for fiscal
year 2006, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding
fiscal
years.
.