Established in 1965, the Higher Education Act(HEA) provides a broad array of federal student aid programs that assist students and their families with paying for or financing he costs of obtaining postsecondary education, as well as programs that provide aid to institutions of higher education (IHEs). Several programs authorized by the HEA can help child care providers and families in need of child care, such as loan forgiveness and campus-based child care programs. Numerous changes were made to the HEA during the last reauthorization.
The Higher Education Act was reauthorized in 2008. The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) became P.L. 110-315 and made significant changes to the current law. These changes are as follows:
Loan Forgiveness for Areas of National Need: Under the new law, borrowers who have earned a degree and are employed full-time in an area of national need may have a portion of their federal program loan forgiven -- up to $10,000 for five years of service. Early childhood educators who work in an eligible preschool program qualify for this program. An eligible preschool program includes a Head Start agency and child care programs, both child care centers and family home care centers.
Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS): The Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program provides a minimum grant of $10,000 a year to institutions of higher education to support student-parents earning low incomes by sponsoring high-quality child care programs or subsidizing the cost of quality child care for those parents. The new law expands this program for when appropriations exceed $20 million to provide no less than $30,000 a year to institutions of higher education to administer this program.
Early Childhood Education Professional Development: The new law includes a new competitive grant program to allow states to establish a State Task Force to develop comprehensive statewide plans for professional development and careers for early childhood education providers, including scholarships to students for up to $17,500. Head Start, Early Head Start, and state licensed or regulated child care programs are eligible.
Pilot Programs to Increase College Persistence and Success: The new law establishes two new pilot programs, one of which is the Student Success Grant that allows institutions of higher education to employ student success coaches for at-risk, first-year students to succeed in school. Grant funding for this program may be used for support services, including child care.