Camille Catlett and Megan Vinh Powerful Perspectives: How New Federal Policies and Position Statements Can Inform Our Work Camille Catlett and Megan Vinh

What are we doing today? Brief overview of the federal policy statements Focus on the: Inclusion policy statement Suspension/Expulsion policy statement Discuss how these resources can be used

Federal Policy Statements Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings Policy Statement on Family Engagement From the Early Years to Early Grades Policy Statement on Supporting the Development of Children who are Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Programs

In the findings to the IDEA, Congress states, “Almost 30 years of research and experience has demonstrated that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by..having high expectations for such children and ensuring their access to the general education curriculum in the regular classroom program, to the maximum extent possible in order to …meet developmental goals and, to the maximum extent possible, the challenging expectations that have been established for all children…” Policy makers have partnered with families, advocates, practitioners, and researchers for decades to expand access to inclusive early childhood programs for children with disabilities, reinforced by a strong legal foundation.

Federal Policy Statement Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

The United States Departments of Education and Health and Human Services Policy Statement on Inclusion (2015): Sets a vision and provides recommendations to States, LEAs, schools, public and private EC programs for increasing inclusion of infants, toddlers, and preschool children with disabilities in high quality EC programs.

The Departments aim to advance this position by: Setting an expectation for high-quality inclusion, Increasing public understanding of the science that supports meaningful inclusion, Highlighting the legal foundations supporting inclusion, Providing recommendations to States, LEAs, schools, and early childhood programs for increasing inclusion, and Identifying free resources.

Challenges to Inclusion Attitudes and beliefs IDEA interpretation and perceived barriers Lack of staffing, training, and expertise in the EC workforce Lack of comprehensive services Limited time and commitment to build partnerships

Recommendations for State Action Create a state-level interagency taskforce and plan for inclusion Ensure state policies support high-quality inclusion Set goals and track data Review and modify resource allocations Ensure quality rating frameworks are inclusive Strengthen accountability and build incentive structures Build a coordinated EC professional development system Implement statewide supports for children’s social-emotional and behavioral health Raise public awareness

Recommendations for Local Action Partner with families Adhere to legal provisions of supports and services in inclusive settings with IFSPs/IEPs Assess and improve the quality of inclusion in EC programs Review and modify resource allocation Enhance professional development Establish an appropriate staffing structure and strengthen staff collaboration Ensure access to specialized supports Develop formal collaborations with community partners

Nearly 1 million children were suspended in the 1972-1973 school year. In 1973, the national suspension rate was 3.7. In 2010 the suspension rate was 7.4 percent (Losen & Gillespie, 2012). Megan First suspension study was in 1975 by the Children’s Defense Fund Suspension rates for all students have doubled since the 1970s.

Suspensions are an adult behavior https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8nkcRMZKV4 Rosemarie Allen TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8nkcRMZKV4

Federal Policy Statement Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings Follows the release of the Department of Educations Guiding Principles: A resource guide for improving school climate and discipline-provides recommendations for K-12 settings to reduce expulsion, suspension, and disciplinary removals.

Recommends use of evidence-based approaches. The United States Departments of Education and Health and Human Services Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings (2015): Raises awareness about the negative impacts of suspension and expulsion, Recommends states develop policies that prevent exclusion as a disciplinary measure Recommends use of evidence-based approaches. Identify free resources to support States, programs, teachers, and providers. Megan Raises awareness about the negative impacts of suspension and expulsion, including the disproportionate number of children of color that are subjected to such exclusionary practices, Recommends states develop policies that prevent exclusion as a disciplinary measure and to administer more appropriate policies that are without bias and discrimination and Recommends use of evidence-based approaches such as PBIS and Pyramid Model to prevent suspensions and expulsions in early childhood programs. This joint HHS and ED policy statement aims to: • Raise awareness about expulsion, suspension, and other exclusionary discipline practices in early childhood settings, including issues of racial/national origin/ethnic and sex disparities and negative outcomes for children associated with expulsion and suspension in the early years; • Provide recommendations to early childhood programs and States on establishing preventive, disciplinary, suspension, and expulsion policies and administering those policies free of bias and discrimination; • Provide recommendations on setting goals and using data to monitor progress in preventing, severely limiting, and ultimately eliminating expulsion and suspension practices in early childhood settings; • Highlight early childhood workforce competencies and evidence-based interventions and approaches that prevent expulsion, suspension, and other exclusionary discipline practices, including early childhood mental health consultation and positive behavior intervention and support strategies; • Identify free resources to support States, programs, teachers, and providers in addressing children’s social-emotional and behavioral health, strengthening family-program relationships, increasing developmental and behavioral screening and follow-up, and eliminating racial/ national origin/ethnic, sex, or disability biases and discrimination in early learning settings;9 and • Identify free resources to support families in fostering young children’s development, socialemotional and behavioral health, and relationships.

Goals of the Federal Policy Statement Prevent, severely reduce, and ultimately eliminate suspension and expulsions in early childhood settings Improve school and program climates and discipline across the education spectrum Megan

Recommendations for State Action Develop and clearly communicate expulsion and suspension policies Set goals for improvement and analyze data to assess progress Invest in workforce preparation and development Establish and Implement Policies Regarding Program Quality Access Free Resources to Develop and Scale Best Practices

Recommendations for Early Childhood Programs Develop and clearly communicate preventative guidance and discipline practices Develop and clearly communicate expulsion and suspension policies Assess technical assistance in workforce development to prevent expulsion and suspension Set goals and analyze data to assess progress

Discussion What are your reactions Are you using this resource/information already? If so, how? Is this content that you could/should inform your work? If so, how? How could this resource support leaders? Individuals who work directly with young children? Families?

Federal Policy Statements Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings Policy Statement on Family Engagement From the Early Years to Early Grades Policy Statement on Supporting the Development of Children who are Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Programs