[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 93 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCING THE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR LOAN FORGIVENESS ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 11, 2007

  Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Early 
Childhood Educator Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007.
  We have paid a lot of attention to reauthorizing the No Child Left 
Behind Act so far this year. One of the disturbing things we often hear 
in these discussions is how far behind our students are when compared 
with their peers around the world. Another problem we have talked a lot 
about is the persistent achievement gap between well-off, White 
children and everyone else in this country.
  Last month Speaker Pelosi hosted a National Summit for America's 
Children, where we heard from leading child development experts about 
the importance of providing high-quality early education opportunities 
to boost success in school and in life.
  Science shows definitively that a majority of brain development 
occurs in the first few years of life, and that influences--positive or 
negative--in these formative years can last a lifetime. We were 
reminded at the summit that ``getting it right'' in the early years is 
``far more advantageous than trying to fix things later.''
  Kindergarten teachers know from first-hand experience what scientists 
know from their research: Often when 5 year olds enter school, there is 
already a noticeable achievement gap between those students from more 
privileged backgrounds and those from disadvantaged households.
  Too often, working families cannot afford to send their children to a 
high quality preschool, so the youngsters end up spending their 
formative years in the care of family members--often untrained in early 
childhood development. The resulting hours in front of a television 
certainly do not stimulate the positive neural activity needed for 
healthy brain development.
  Not only does this experience limit the child's potential for success 
in school, it also hurts our country. Children without a high quality 
early education experience are less likely to contribute to the 
economy, more likely to commit crimes, and more likely to experience 
poverty and the poor health that goes with it.

  Scientists, economists, teachers, and parents tell us that we must 
invest in our country's future by funding increased access to high-
quality early childhood education.
  And yet, time and time again, I hear from the early education 
community in Hawaii that even with more classrooms and more money, they 
could not make real progress toward serving every family who wants to 
send their children to preschool because they don't have enough 
qualified teachers.
  We know that a highly qualified teacher makes a huge difference for 
children. We owe it to them to have a teacher who knows what he or she 
is doing. Unfortunately, there are strong economic barriers to 
increasing the number of qualified early education workers. When 
students are choosing a career, it is unlikely that they will decide to 
take on the thousands of dollars in educational debt for a job that 
will pay so little. The average preschool teacher makes less than 
janitors, secretaries, and many other workers with only a high school 
diploma. As the saying goes, ``it just doesn't add up.''
  We can change the equation. We can start by providing loan 
forgiveness to students who get a degree in early childhood education 
or a related field and then teach in low income communities, where the 
real need is, for 5 years. This bill will do just that.
  Cost is not the only prohibitive factor for prospective early 
education teachers. In some places there are simply no training 
programs available. Our teachers' colleges are not prepared to turn out 
the number of quality teachers we will need if we are to make a real 
investment in early education. Further, even with a more robust 
workforce, States would not have the money they need to implement high-
quality early education standards, build the facilities, and run the 
programs. I am working with Chairman Miller and others on the Education 
and Labor Committee to address these problems in other pieces of 
legislation.
  But while we work on all the other issues, we cannot wait to pass 
this bill. It is a necessary first step because its benefits will not 
accrue immediately--training new teachers will take time.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that we do not miss a 
chance to make real progress toward closing the disturbing achievement 
gaps our children face--both amongst themselves and when compared with 
their peers around the world.

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