NASET Q & A Corner

Questions and Answers on

Discipline Discussions: Suspension, Expulsion & Informal Removals: Unexpected Realities in Preschool

This issue of NASET’s Q & A Corner comes from the U.S. Department of Education. It is from a blog from By Valerie C. Williams, Director, Office of Special Education Programs. The questions and answers focus on how exclusionary discipline in preschool can create stressful and isolating experiences for children and their families. The entire blog can be found at https://sites.ed.gov/osers/2023/05/suspension-expulsion-informal-removals-unexpected-realities-in-preschool/

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Play. Learn. Grow. These are the words that come to mind when I think about preschool and our youngest learners. But the reality is far different for many children and their families: suspensions, expulsions and other forms of exclusionary discipline remove children from their preschool environment and create stressful and isolating experiences.

What message are we sending to our 3 through 5-year-old children if one of their first educational experiences involves a disciplinary removal? How does this experience shape their perspective, engagement, sense of belonging and future approach to school?

In 2014, the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services called for the prevention, severe limitation and ultimate elimination of expulsions and suspensions in early childhood settings. Additionally, the departments addressed the need to improve school climate and approaches to discipline more broadly across the educational spectrum. Rightfully so, this joint policy statement called for immediate attention from the early childhood and education fields given the negative short-term and longer-term impact on exclusionary discipline for young children, including negative educational and life outcomes. Sadly, nearly a decade later, the data continue to show the frequency of exclusionary discipline used for our youngest learners.

To read more on this topic along with answering questions such as:

Why does exclusionary discipline occur within preschool settings? How can preschools and families partner to support child success?

How can the Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (i.e., Pyramid Model) help reduce exclusionary discipline?

How can state leaders, local program, and school leaders support reducing exclusionary discipline for preschool children and support a focus on prevention?

What strategies and tips are available for educators to use when addressing challenging behavior?

Click on:

https://sites.ed.gov/osers/2023/05/suspension-expulsion-informal-removals-unexpected-realities-in-preschool/