Ensuring the well-being of Pennsylvania's children should be a top priority for everyone in the Commonwealth. Every day, child welfare professionals dedicate their unique skills toward that goal by empowering, counseling, protecting, and advocating for Pennsylvania youth.

Despite the necessity of the work they do, child welfare workers are some of the lowest paid professionals in Pennsylvania. Although many hold at least a bachelor's degree, a large portion of Pennsylvania's child welfare workers earn only $27,000 to $33,000 per year. Because a four-year college degree is a common requirement to work in this field, it is not uncommon for child welfare professionals to owe nearly $50,000, and in some cases more, in student loan debt. With such low salaries, it is impossible for child welfare workers to repay student loan debt. As a result, many of these educated, caring professionals are forced to seek higher paying work in a different field, to the detriment of Pennsylvania children who have benefited from their service.

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 29 can help solve the problem of high turnover rates in the child welfare profession by giving current and potential child welfare workers incentive to work in this important field. Also known as the Child Welfare Workers Loan Forgiveness Act, Senate Bill 29 seeks to forgive a portion of qualified child welfare workers' student loan debt. If passed, educated professionals who choose to dedicate their skills to child welfare may be forgiven a maximum amount of $10,000 for those with undergraduate degrees and up to $20,000 for those with qualifying graduate degrees. This incentive would undoubtedly help child welfare agencies throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania attract and retain competent, devoted child welfare professionals.

In January 2015, Senate Bill 29 was referred to the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee, where it remains today. There have been no committee or floor votes for this crucial legislation, and it therefore risks dying in the Education Committee. Do not let that happen.

Stand with children and child welfare workers and urge your local Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee member to do the same by signing and sharing this letter today.

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