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How to Write Suspension/Expulsion Procedures

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How to Write Suspension/Expulsion Procedures

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8-Creating Your Written Procedures to Reduce the Incidence of Suspension and Expulsion at Your Center.pdf

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What is the Definition of  Suspension/Expulsion?

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What is the Definition of  Suspension/Expulsion?

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The Benefits of Inclusion in Early Childhood

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The Benefits of Inclusion in Early Childhood

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7-The Benefits of Inclusion in Early Childhood.docx

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5-Writing a Quality Inclusion Policy.docx

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How to Write a Program Inclusion Philosophy

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How to Write a Program Inclusion Philosophy

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Purpose of The Guide

Suspensions and expulsions of young children are not developmentally appropriate practices. Yet, recent data indicate that suspension and expulsion occur regularly in early childhood settings. These exclusionary practices, which disproportionately impact children of color, deprive children of valuable learning experiences and have a negative impact on children's development that extends into grade school and beyond. Eliminating all forms of exclusion is urgent and vital to preparing all children for success. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Education (ED) have made this a key priority and issued a Joint Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policy in Early Childhood Settings. View the video below for an introduction to the issue and this guide.

The purpose of this guide is to provide relevant, specific recommended policies and practices that are actionable and address the underlying root causes and provide effective alternatives. The recommended policies and practices are based on the most important research for eliminating suspensions and expulsions in early childhood settings and were developed with guidance from a panel of national experts.

Using the interactive guide, program leaders can find resources on supporting social-emotional development, reducing challenging behavior, recognizing the role of cultural differences and implicit biases, and more.

The guide is intended for those most likely to make an impact and with a great need for resources: early education program leaders in center-based settings who implement policies and procedures and promote practices; however, anyone seeking to learn more about strategies for eliminating suspension and expulsion in early childhood settings can benefit from using the guide.

Get Started

Roadmap to Navigating the Guide

What recommended policies and practices are most important for you and your program? To help you prioritize, take the optional self-assessment that will provide you with a tailored roadmap to navigating the guide.

Start the Self-Assessment

The Introduction describes the contents of the guide and provides tips for how to get the most out of the guide. The guide can be read from start to finish, or the individual recommended policies and practices can stand alone. We recognize that implementing all recommended policies and practices may be overwhelming and that programmatic changes often need to occur in stages.

To help you prioritize what recommended policies and practices are most necessary and timely to implement in your program, we have developed a self-assessment. The self-assessment is an optional tool that includes a brief questionnaire to help you reflect on your program's policies, practices, and needs. The results of the self-assessment will help you reflect on your strengths and needs and provide you a roadmap to navigating the guide.

Citation

Suggested citation for this guide:

Schachner, A., Belodoff, K., Chen, W-B., Kutaka, T., Fikes, A., Ensign, K., Chow, K., Nguyen, J., & Hardy, J. (2016). Preventing Suspensions and Expulsions in Early Childhood Settings: An Administrator's Guide to Supporting All Children's Success. SRI International: Menlo Park, CA. Accessed from http://preventexpulsion.org

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Preventing Suspensions and Expulsions in Early Childhood Settings | An Administrator's Guide to Supporting All Children's Success

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Suspensions and expulsions of young children are not developmentally appropriate practices. Yet, recent data indicate that suspension and expulsion occur regularly in early childhood settings. These exclusionary practices, which disproportionately impact children of color, deprive children of valuable learning experiences and have a negative impact on children's development that extends into grade school and beyond.

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Prevent Expulsion: Program Self-Assessment Tool

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Prevent Expulsion: Program Self-Assessment Tool

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PA Inclusion Self-Evaluation and Action Plan Tool

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PA Inclusion Self-Evaluation and Action Plan Tool

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PA Inclusion Self-Assessment and Action Plan.doc

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ECELS/AAP Model Child Health Care Policies

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ECELS/AAP Model Child Health Care Policies

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Since December 1989, the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PA AAP) has operated the Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS). The mission of ECELS is to improve the quality of early childhood education and school age child care programs.

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Announcement-Reduction of explusion and suspension in EC programs in PA.pdf

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Announcement-Inclusion of All Children in Early Childhood Programs in PA.pdf

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OCDEL Guidelines for Suspension/Expulsion Policy-- "One-Pager" short version

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OCDEL Guidelines for Suspension/Expulsion Policy-- "One-Pager" short version

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OCDEL Guidelines for Inclusion Policy--Full Guidelines

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OCDEL Guidelines for Inclusion Policy--Full Guidelines

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Guidelines to Support Implementation of OCDEL Annoucement on Inclusion.pdf

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OCDEL Guidelines for Inclusion Policy--"7 Steps to Inclusion" short version

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OCDEL Guidelines for Inclusion Policy--"7 Steps to Inclusion" short version

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Getting Started with Inclusion--7 Steps.pdf

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PA-EITA: Early Intervention Technical Supports

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PA-EITA: Early Intervention Technical Supports

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Social-Emotional Supports for Center-Based Programs

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Supporting an Effective Workforce

This webpage describes what ECMHC is, who is eligible for this service, and how to apply for support. ECMHC project (external link)

Take a look at some of the ECMH articles included on the ECMHC webpage for practical strategies that your staff can put to use immediately

Teaching Social Skills

A short video highlighting ways that teachers can support children in learning how to use problem solving to deal with the upsets, conflicts and other social problems that may occur in a preschool classroom.Visit "Problem Solving in the Moment" to view this video. (external link)

While there be sure to check out:

Tips for Teachers (external link)

Short video presenting a four-step guide for teacher planning to teach behavior expectations in a preschool classroom. Visit "Stating Behavioral Expectations" to view this video. (external link)

While there be sure to check out:

Activities with Families. This will provide a resource with ideas for partnering with families

Using visual supports to create a classroom Problem Solving Kits is a way to teach children how to begin to solve problem skills. Each visual should be specifically taught during a large or small group time. Visit Head Start's Visual Support page to learn more. (external link)

while there be sure to check out:

Build Social Skills, Dragon Brain, Emotional Regulation, Friendship Kit, Problem Solving, and Voice Volume Charts.

Engaging Families

This article from NAEYC's Young Children journal describes what makes the difference when early childhood programs build successful, collaborative relationships with families. The article includes how Strengthening Families Illinois took steps to support staff's desire to change practices that may be subtle barriers to closer staff-family connections. Describing how Strengthening Families Illinois had made a difference, one program director said, "When a parent was chronically late, we used to look at our watches at pick-up time and complain to each other about how inconsiderate she was. Now, we say to each other, 'I wonder what's going on with her and how we could help.'" NAEYC article (external link)

While there be sure to check out:

"You're Welcome" Parent Leaders Speak Out on What it Takes to Promote Real Parent Engagement (external link)

Use this checklist as part of your program's comprehensive system for fostering family engagement. Complete it as a staff team exercise; ask each staff member to complete the form, and discuss the responses at a staff meeting. Revisit the checklist on a regular basis to check on your progress. Self-Assessment Checklist (external link)

While there be sure to check out:

Principles of Effective Practice (external link)

Nurturing Relationships/Supportive Environments

Short articles and handouts that address classroom specific problems and provide clear, easy solutions to try in your classroom. Topics include, but are not limited to: Building Positive Teacher Child Relationships, Expressing Warmth and Affection to Children, and Understanding Temperament in Infants and Toddlers. Check out the "What Works" page on the CSEFEL website to learn more. (external link)

While there be sure to check out:

Brief 24 Attachment: What Works?

Brief, 15-minute online professional development that uses videos and articles to support practitioner learning in building relationships. Topics include fostering connections, being aware of children's needs and creating a caring community. To view some of these videos and articles, go to this Teaching and Learning page. (external link)

Practice guides for classroom practitioners to self-assess and develop skills in topics such as early peer interaction. There are two resources that can be used with this: Peer Interaction PDF and Peer Interactions Videos. (external link)

Addressing Challenging Behaviors

For Trainers/Coaches

Coaching Kits guide coaches from assessment to strategies for teaching and providing feedback on various topics. Check out the Teaching Friendship Skills and Problem Solving kits. (opens in a new tab)

We are developing additional kits to support your work. Keep coming back to check for new coaching kits!

Social Emotional Resources for Families

Social Emotional Resources for
Home-based Programs

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This webpage describes what ECMHC is, who is eligible for this service, and how to apply for support.

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CSEFEL: Center on the Social-Emotional Foundation for Early Learning

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CSEFEL: Center on the Social-Emotional Foundation for Early Learning

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The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. We have developed extensive, user-friendly training materials, videos, and print resources which are available directly from this website to help early care, health and education providers implement this model.

State Partnerships

Visit our states page to find more information about any of our state partners or new resources and information for all states.

State Partners: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Stay Connected to CSEFEL: sign up for our electronic updates

Pyramid Model

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CSEFEL: Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning

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The National Center for Effective Mental Health Consultation (CEMHC) addresses the needs of Early Head Start/Head Start (E/HS) staff and families for practical guidance on effective ways to promote young childrenís social and emotional development and reduce challenging behaviors.

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TACSEI/National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

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TACSEI/National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

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National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations NCPMI

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The goals of the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) are to assist states and programs in their implementation of sustainable systems for the implementation of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Pyramid Model) within early intervention and early education programs with a focus on promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children birth to five, reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, promoting family engagement, using data for decision-making, integrating early childhood and infant mental health consultation and fostering inclusion.

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The following two helplines are availble to help Pennsylvania families: The CONNECT Helpline assists in locating resources and finding information regarding child development for children ages birth to age 5.

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Philadelphia Family Legal Aid & Pro Bono Services - Justia Pennsylvania Lawyer Directory

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Compare and research family legal aid and pro bono legal service organizations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Justia

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University of Pennsylvania Pro-Bono Supports

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University of Pennsylvania Pro-Bono Supports

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Our students provide a wide-range of pro bono legal assistance but only under the supervision of attorneys at public interest legal organizations. These attorneys have expertise in many fields of law, and may be able to provide their services for no fee or a low cost.

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How to Insure that Barriers to Inclusion are Removed

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How to Insure that Barriers to Inclusion are Removed

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6-How to Ensure that Barriers to Inclusion are Removed (Article_.docx