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

By: Alexandra R. Patterson

Colorful wooden blocks, colored pencils, and shapes on a peach background with empty space on the right.

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.

Read Statement
Woman smiling, wearing a red and white houndstooth jacket and maroon top, standing against a plain background.

Alexandra R. Patterson

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.

A woman and three children sit together on outdoor steps in front of a brick house on a sunny day.

A Legacy of Care: Women, History, and the Path to Universal Child Care

Blog_English
Women’s contributions and experiences are not well represented in the record books, but it is just as rich and worth celebrating. Ours is a tale of community, resilience, and connection to one another, and it is inextricably linked with care work. 
Read More
Woman in a floral shirt stands smiling with arms crossed in a colorful, cluttered home office space.

Shaping a Sustainable Future: Celebrating Women’s History Month and the Value of Home-Based Child Care

Blog_English
During Women’s History Month, we celebrate the contributions that women have made to every corner of our society and honor their achievements. Among these leaders are the more than 5 million women who form the backbone of home-based child care (HBCC).
Read More
Adult and child smiling and hugging closely in a warm, joyful moment in a cozy room with bookshelves behind them.

Black History Month and the Enduring Legacy of Community Care

Blog_English
For generations, Black home-based child care providers have built systems of care rooted in community, trust, and resilience, often stepping in where formal systems fell short. Of the over 5 million home-based child care providers, including Family Child Care providers and paid and unpaid Family Friend and Neighbor caregivers, roughly a quarter in each subgroup identify as Black Non-Hispanic
Read More