Home Grown’s Response to the White House Student Loan Forgiveness Announcement

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The Biden-Harris Administration’s announced student loan relief plan has the potential to significantly aid home-based providers and the early childhood workforce. Loan forgiveness lifts the burden of student debt from a workforce experiencing a great deal of material hardship, and represents progress towards restoring dignity and economic security to early childhood professionals. As federal and state governments explore additional, comprehensive approaches to solve the workforce and child care crisis, this is an important and necessary first step.

Home Grown urges the administration to implement a process to qualify early childhood workers, including home-based child care providers, for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Alexandra R. Patterson is the Director of Policy and Strategy at Home Grown. Her work focuses on policy solutions that  equitably distribute resources to home based child care providers  and strengths based frameworks for understanding quality in home based child care settings. Her passion for early childhood is driven by a centering belief in access to quality education for all as a social justice issue.

Stephen Cutty, a home-based child care provider in California, is one of a small number of male child care providers. He calls running his business "the greatest experience of [his] life."