According to recent research data, young children in early childhood settings are being expelled or suspended at a high rate, and children of color and children with disabilities are disproportionately affected. The high rate of suspension and expulsion harms children and families, causing negative outcomes in children’s development, health, and education.
A 2005 study of state-funded programs, “Prekindergarteners left behind: Expulsion rates in state prekindergarten program ,” revealed that the rate of preschool expulsion was more than three times greater than the national rate of expulsion for students in kindergarten through grade 12.
More recently, the United States Department of Education released the results of its Civil Rights Data Collection. The results on preschool data reveals that “6,743 children who were enrolled in public pre-K received one or more out-of-school suspensions in the 2013-14 school year.” Data also shows that black and African American preschool children are 3.6 times more likely to be suspended than white children.
In the fall of 2020, the Oregon Early Learning Division (ELD) contracted with Portland State University’s Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services and OSLC Developments, Inc. to conduct a statewide survey and listening sessions with families . The survey asked families to indicate if they had ever been told that their child “might need to ‘take a break’ or leave care, either permanently or temporarily”. More than 6% of all children were asked to leave care. When asked why the child was asked to leave, thirty-five percent of parents indicated the reason was that the provider could not handle the child’s behavior towards other children or adults.
In June 2023, the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) commissioned the Coalition of Communities of Color to study suspension and expulsion in Oregon’s early learning environments. The research included a review of published data, a resource-mapping survey of early childhood educators, and qualitative input on what educators need to prevent these practices. The study offers key findings, recommendations, and a DELC response. Read both the Full Report and Summary.
The root causes of suspension and expulsion are complex and varied. As a result, the Every Child Belongs initiative includes solutions that reflect and respond to the complex and varied issues.