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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Early Educator Loan 
Forgiveness Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR SERVICE AS AN EARLY 
CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR. 
Section 428K (20 U.S.C. 1078–11) is amended to 
read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 428K. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR SERVICE AS AN 
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 
‘‘(1) to encourage highly trained individuals to 
enter and continue in service as early childhood edu-
cators; and 
‘‘(2) to reduce the burden of student debt for 
Americans who dedicate their careers to service as 
early childhood educators. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) LOAN
FORGIVENESS
AUTHORIZED.—The 
Secretary is authorized to forgive, in accordance 
with this section, the student loan obligation of a 
borrower in the amount specified in subsection (c), 
for any new borrower after the date of enactment of 
the Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007, 
who— 
‘‘(A) has been employed full-time for at 
least 5 consecutive complete school years as an 
early childhood educator in an eligible preschool 
program or eligible early childhood education 
program in a low-income community, and who 
is involved directly in the care, development, 
and education of infants, toddlers, or young 
children through age 5; and 
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‘‘(B) is not in default on a loan for which 
the borrower seeks forgiveness. 
‘‘(2) METHOD
OF
LOAN
FORGIVENESS.—To 
provide loan forgiveness under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary is authorized to carry out a program— 
‘‘(A) through the holder of the loan, to as-
sume the obligation to repay a qualified loan 
amount for a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 
under this part; and 
‘‘(B) to cancel a qualified loan amount for 
a loan made under part D of this title. 
‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary is author-
ized to issue such regulations as may be necessary 
to carry out the provisions of this section. 
‘‘(c) QUALIFIED LOAN AMOUNT.—The Secretary 
shall forgive not more than $5,000 in the aggregate of 
the student loan obligation of a borrower that is out-
standing after the completion of the fifth consecutive 
school year of employment described in subsection (b)(1). 
‘‘(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to authorize the refunding of any repayment 
of a loan. 
‘‘(e) AWARD BASIS.—Loan forgiveness under this 
section shall be on a first-come, first-served basis and sub-
ject to the availability of appropriations. 
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‘‘(f) INELIGIBILITY
FOR DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No 
borrower may receive a reduction of loan obligations under 
both this section and section 428J or 460. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
EDUCATOR.—The 
term ‘early childhood educator’ means an early 
childhood educator who works directly with children 
in an eligible preschool program or eligible early 
childhood education program who has completed a 
baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood 
development, early childhood education, or in a field 
related to early childhood education. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
PRESCHOOL
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘eligible preschool program’ means a program 
that provides for the care, development, and edu-
cation of infants, toddlers, or young children 
through age 5, meets any applicable State or local 
government licensing, certification, approval, and 
registration requirements, and is operated by— 
‘‘(A) a public or private school that may be 
supported, sponsored, supervised, or adminis-
tered by a local educational agency; 
‘‘(B) a Head Start agency serving as a 
grantee designated under the Head Start Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); 
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‘‘(C) a nonprofit or community based orga-
nization; or 
‘‘(D) a child care program, including a 
home. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 
PROGRAM.—The term ‘eligible early childhood edu-
cation program’ means— 
‘‘(A) a family child care program, center- 
based child care program, State prekinder-
garten program, school program, or other out- 
of-home early childhood development care pro-
gram, that— 
‘‘(i) is licensed or regulated by the 
State; and 
‘‘(ii) serves 2 or more unrelated chil-
dren who are not old enough to attend kin-
dergarten; 
‘‘(B) a Head Start Program carried out 
under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et 
seq.); or 
‘‘(C) an Early Head Start Program carried 
out under section 645A of the Head Start Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9840a). 
‘‘(4) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘low-income community’ means a 
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community in which 70 percent of households earn 
less than 85 percent of the State median household 
income. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 and 
each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 
Æ 
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