We’re pleased to report that the House Education and Labor Committee yesterday approved H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. The bill, which is mostly about reforming the student loan process, also includes creation of an Early Learning Challenge Fund. The vote was of 30 – 17, with only two Republicans voting to approve the bill. One of them was Congressman Tom Petri (R – Fond du Lac), who has long been a leader on student aid issues.

As WCCF reported on Monday, the Early Learning Challenge Fund would make $10 billion available to states in competitive grants over 10 years to support their efforts to improve the quality of early education in all types of settings and increase the number of disadvantaged kids enrolled in high quality programs.

The next step is a vote before the full House of Representatives. WCCF encourages you to contact your congressional representative and tell him or her to support H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act/Early Learning Challenge Fund. We’ll let you know when the vote gets scheduled, but it’s never too early to show your support for this legislation.