I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2655 

To provide for a loan forgiveness program for certain individuals who serve 

as early childhood educators. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 11, 2007 

Ms. HIRONO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To provide for a loan forgiveness program for certain 

individuals who serve as early childhood educators. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Early Educator Loan 

5 Forgiveness Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR SERVICE AS AN EARLY 

7 CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR. 

8 Section 428K (20 U.S.C. 1078–11) is amended to 

9 read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 428K. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR SERVICE AS AN 

2 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR. 

3 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

4 ‘‘(1) to encourage highly trained individuals to 

5 enter and continue in service as early childhood edu6 cators; and 

7 ‘‘(2) to reduce the burden of student debt for 

8 Americans who dedicate their careers to service as 

9 early childhood educators. 

10 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

11 ‘‘(1) LOAN FORGIVENESS AUTHORIZED.—The 

12 Secretary is authorized to forgive, in accordance 

13 with this section, the student loan obligation of a 

14 borrower in the amount specified in subsection (c), 

15 for any new borrower after the date of enactment of 

16 the Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007, 

17 who— 

18 ‘‘(A) has been employed full-time for at 

19 least 5 consecutive complete school years as an 

20 early childhood educator in an eligible preschool 

21 program or eligible early childhood education 

22 program in a low-income community, and who 

23 is involved directly in the care, development, 

24 and education of infants, toddlers, or young 

25 children through age 5; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) is not in default on a loan for which 

2 the borrower seeks forgiveness. 

3 ‘‘(2) METHOD OF LOAN FORGIVENESS.—To 

4 provide loan forgiveness under paragraph (1), the 

5 Secretary is authorized to carry out a program— 

6 ‘‘(A) through the holder of the loan, to as7 sume the obligation to repay a qualified loan 

8 amount for a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 

9 under this part; and 

10 ‘‘(B) to cancel a qualified loan amount for 

11 a loan made under part D of this title. 

12 ‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary is author13 ized to issue such regulations as may be necessary 

14 to carry out the provisions of this section. 

15 ‘‘(c) QUALIFIED LOAN AMOUNT.—The Secretary 

16 shall forgive not more than $5,000 in the aggregate of 

17 the student loan obligation of a borrower that is out18 standing after the completion of the fifth consecutive 

19 school year of employment described in subsection (b)(1). 

20 ‘‘(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 

21 be construed to authorize the refunding of any repayment 

22 of a loan. 

23 ‘‘(e) AWARD BASIS.—Loan forgiveness under this 

24 section shall be on a first-come, first-served basis and sub25 ject to the availability of appropriations. 


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1 ‘‘(f) INELIGIBILITY FOR DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No 

2 borrower may receive a reduction of loan obligations under 

3 both this section and section 428J or 460. 

4 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 ‘‘(1) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR.—The 

6 term ‘early childhood educator’ means an early 

7 childhood educator who works directly with children 

8 in an eligible preschool program or eligible early 

9 childhood education program who has completed a 

10 baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood 

11 development, early childhood education, or in a field 

12 related to early childhood education. 

13 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM.—The 

14 term ‘eligible preschool program’ means a program 

15 that provides for the care, development, and edu16 cation of infants, toddlers, or young children 

17 through age 5, meets any applicable State or local 

18 government licensing, certification, approval, and 

19 registration requirements, and is operated by— 

20 ‘‘(A) a public or private school that may be 

21 supported, sponsored, supervised, or adminis22 tered by a local educational agency; 

23 ‘‘(B) a Head Start agency serving as a 

24 grantee designated under the Head Start Act 

25 (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); 


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1 ‘‘(C) a nonprofit or community based orga2 nization; or 

3 ‘‘(D) a child care program, including a 

4 home. 

5 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

6 PROGRAM.—The term ‘eligible early childhood edu7 cation program’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) a family child care program, center9 based child care program, State prekinder10 garten program, school program, or other out11 of-home early childhood development care pro12 gram, that— 

13 ‘‘(i) is licensed or regulated by the 

14 State; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) serves 2 or more unrelated chil16 dren who are not old enough to attend kin17 dergarten; 

18 ‘‘(B) a Head Start Program carried out 

19 under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et 

20 seq.); or 

21 ‘‘(C) an Early Head Start Program carried 

22 out under section 645A of the Head Start Act 

23 (42 U.S.C. 9840a). 

24 ‘‘(4) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—In this sub25 section, the term ‘low-income community’ means a 


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1 community in which 70 percent of households earn 

2 less than 85 percent of the State median household 

3 income. 

4 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 and 

7 each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

Æ 


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