What does Preamble of Child Care Workforce Development Act do?

This bill, formally titled 'To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out an early childhood educator loan assistance program, and for other purposes,' aims to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an early childhood educator loan assistance program.

What does SHORT TITLE. of Child Care Workforce Development Act do?

This bill is formally titled the Child Care Workforce Development Act.

What does EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR LOAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. of Child Care Workforce Development Act do?

This section establishes the Early Childhood Educator Loan Assistance Program. The Secretary of Health and Human Services may enter into contracts with eligible early childhood educators to repay their educational loans. Educators who enter into contracts agree to serve as early childhood educators with a qualified employer for 5 years. The Federal Government may repay up to $6,000 of principal and interest per year for each year of service. Eligible educators must annually recertify their eligibility. The total loan repayment cannot exceed the educator's total loan principal and interest. Certain provisions of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program apply to this program. An eligible early childhood educator must have outstanding Federal direct loans for education in early childhood education or a related field. A qualified employer is a childcare provider eligible for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. The Secretary must submit a report to Congress on the program's implementation within 5 years of enactment. There is authorized $25,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2031 to carry out this section.

What does GRANTS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. of Child Care Workforce Development Act do?

This section establishes a program where the Secretary of Education makes payments to institutions of higher education with qualified early childhood educator programs. These institutions then award grants to eligible individuals enrolled in such programs on a competitive basis. Eligible individuals must file applications and enter into agreements outlining a service obligation. The service obligation requires recipients to work as educators in licensed early learning programs for a minimum of one academic year, with potential extensions for grant renewals. Failure to fulfill the service obligation results in the grant amount being treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, without accruing interest, subject to income-contingent repayment. The Secretary can provide hardship extensions for up to one year to grant recipients who struggle to find employment in licensed early learning programs. Grants are capped at $4,000 per academic year for each eligible individual. The Secretary is authorized to appropriate $10,000,000 annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out this section.

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Child Care Workforce Development Act

Last updated: 5/8/2025 · Introduced: 5/8/2025

Author: Katherine Clark (D-MA)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill establishes the Early Childhood Educator Loan Assistance Program, allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to repay up to $6,000 annually of eligible educators' student loans in exchange for five years of service at a qualified childcare provider.
The bill creates a grant program administered by the Secretary of Education, providing up to $4,000 per year to eligible students pursuing early childhood education degrees in exchange for a service obligation at a licensed early learning program.
The legislation authorizes $25 million annually from 2026 through 2031 for the loan assistance program and $10 million annually from 2026 through 2030 for the grant program.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

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Other Sections

Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 2 more.

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