Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Bill Will Help Early Childhood Teachers

For more information, contact
Sarah Wayne at NAEYC
202-454-7603 or swayne@naeyc.org

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2005 - U.S. Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) have introduced the Paul Wellstone Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act, which forgives higher education loans to early childhood educators, to be included in this year's reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

"The low wages that are paid make it difficult for early childhood educators to remain in the field and repay their higher education loans," said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). "We encourage other Senators to support this bill and help early childhood educators continue working in the preschools and child care programs they love."

The Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act will expand loan forgiveness, already available to many K-12 teachers, to early childhood educators. Loan forgiveness is an important key strategy for helping teachers and administrators afford to continue working in early childhood education. Many preschool teachers now are required by states to have associate or bachelor's degrees, and teachers who earn those degrees usually have significant loans to repay. The Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act will help more early childhood educators stay in their jobs, and help more young children benefit from teachers who have better education and preparation.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children is an organization of teachers and others dedicated to improving the quality of early education programs for children from birth through age eight. Founded in 1926, NAEYC now has nearly 100,000 members, and a national network of 350 local, state, and regional affiliates. NAEYC and its affiliates work to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education, and to build public support for high-quality early childhood programs.