Tag Archives: Age 0-5

OSEP Blog: Suspension, Expulsion & Informal Removals: Unexpected Realities in Preschool

DaSy Director Grace Kelley and DaSy TA Specialist Jennifer Tschantz contributed to OSEP Director Valerie C. Williams’ May Discipline Discussions Blog. This month she addressed the important topic of suspensions, expulsions, and other forms of exclusionary discipline that remove children from their preschool environment and end up creating stressful and isolating experiences for children and their families.

Preventing Suspensions and Expulsions in Early Childhood Settings

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.

Intersectionality, Quality, and Inclusion: The Role of Race in the Early Childhood System

Today’s early childhood system has many positive and meaningful supports for children and their families. However, outcomes for children are disparate. Equitable access, appropriate supports, and full inclusion are not available to all children. This disparity is especially true for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children and families. In this session, participants examined history and data to explore how bias and ableism have impacted the early childhood system, specifically in relation to intersectionality, the perception of “quality” in programs, and inclusive services for all children.

Building an Equitable System: Six Components of High Quality

This session focused on recent revisions to the revised Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center / Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems System Framework to infuse equity more intentionally into the indicators of quality. Participants learned how the framework has been used and then, with colleagues, brainstorm opportunities for applying the framework at both the state and local levels of their systems.

No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Professional Development Resources to Reinforce Core COS Practices

This session explored available Child Outcomes Summary (COS) resources that help teams focus on functionality, cover the breadth of the outcomes, develop age-anchoring skills, determine ratings with the decision tree, and engage families in COS conversations. Participants discovered how these resources can improve, refresh, or refine team implementation of the COS process. Professional development providers and technical assistance staff using these resources shared strategies for practical implementation of quality learning activities for busy practitioners.