ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

I have not received my emailed newsletter since Mon. July 27th. Could there be a problem? I miss the EXCHANGE newsletter! Thanks!

I almost absolutely agree that PUBLIC preschools/pre-kindergarten programs should not be suspending children. Where I differ from that is when it is physically unsafe for either the child in question, his/her classmates or the teachers to remain in the situation. That is when public resources need to kick in. Not every child can handle a class of 16 or 20. It can literally be too much stimulation. Group care can be rough. You are locked into a schedule that may not coincide with a child's natural schedule. As teacher's, we need to recognize that and use all our tools, and built up trust that we have with each and every one of the children in our classrooms. What do we do when that is not enough? What do we do when we know, in our hearts and with all our experience, that it is not enough? If we have a "no suspension " rule, no matter what. Are we not keeping children from being successful? Are we not keeping our teachers from being successful? You can't always put a round peg in a square hole. If you do, you are basically hammering it down and splintering it to fit. Their are children, who through no fault of their own or anybody else that need a different environment. In a public ps or pk, it is up to districts, local, state and federal government to have quality places for these children.

decision and policy makers would be wise to READ Jeanne Brooks-Gunn research from 2000 compiled at Columbia university. "Do You Believe in Magic?: What We Can Expect From Early Childhood Intervention Programs"
This research produced for Congressional briefing in 2000 has been overlooked for 16 years by policy makers and educators. It can be found at file:///C:/Users/Admin/Documents/Downloads/Do_You_Believe_In_Magic____What_We_Can_Expect_Fro.pdf

Using suspensions in preschool is a last ditch effort to remove a child who misbehaves. And I get it. Adults in preschools are understaffed, stressed out, and unfortunately not educated in DAP and Conflict Resolution, so then the child who needs help loses out. Changes need to occur on a national level. I'm voting for Dr. Jill Stein for President, to get someone sanity in the national debate on free early childcare and preschools.

Play-based curriculums are developmentally-appropriate education for preschool. When too much teacher-directed instruction is thrown at that age, the children will act up. They are trying to escape somehow, the torture. When children are actively-engaged with an activity, with each other, with the adults in the classroom, most discipline problems disappear. Now children will have disagreements, but that's a perfect opportunity to implement Conflict Resolution, where children are taught to solve their own challenges.

It is unfortunate but, some children need to be suspended from preschool because of their negative behavior that affects the children's learning experiences; disrupts the classroom routines; and hurts another child. Preschool children who hurt other child constantly and smile...display behavior that denotes pleasure need the type of support that can not be given in a - 2 teachers and 20 children classroom! There is usually plans developed to respond to that individual child's behavior and the teachers, staff, and their parents develop strategies to respond to the child's needs. The teachers provide a supportive environment in which the children can begin to learn and practice appropriate and acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a member of a group. They strive to help the children to understand their feelings, enrich their emotional vocabulary, and develop empathy. Developing preventive situations and experiences that help the children in having positive interactions and communicate effectively is a constant goal. Teachers are helping children to develop and become fluent with the skills of self-regulation- calming down, controlling anger and impulse, etc. It is only after implementing several developmentally and age-appropriate strategies and working with a mental health provider, education coordinator, and the parents and the child's behavior does not change or it gets worst - it is with heartfelt regret the child is suspended. Parents are encouraged to utilize the referral to a social service agency or hospital that provides services for children who display anti-social, bullying, and chronically aggressive behavior.
CPS has qualified special education teachers, smaller size special classrooms, and additional staff ...special education teachers are needed to respond to these children's constant negative and destructive behavior and they are able meet their unique needs.

In Ohio this is a problem, but the state has created the Ohio Preschool Expulsion Prevention Partnership - http://mha.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=279

It's really hard to suggest meaningful solutions with so little information. This kind of data would be a lot more helpful if we didn't use the word "preschool" to mean so many different things.

Programming for children 3-5 years old ranges very widely: from public school preschool programs that have teachers not only with teaching licenses but multiple degrees in education (and sometimes National Board certification), to childcare providers with associates degrees in child development (or no degree at all).

Even if we narrow the use of the term "preschool" to refer to childcare settings that offer programming to children 3-5, you're still looking at an incredibly wide range of programming and staff education and/or qualifications.

There are also a large number of preschool-age children in Head Start across the country, but Head Start programming is unlike most other programs for children in this age group because it is designed to support children and families in many ways that other programs simply cannot do.

Head Start is also closely connected to local school districts, so children with extreme behaviors are more likely to be referred for an evaluation to determine whether or not they may be eligible for additional supports (funded by the school district through special education services).

Until we clarify the language we use to refer to early childhood programming (including the words "preschool," "teacher," and "preschooler") the research will be of little use. If we can't clearly identify the problem (or problems) and specific contributing factors, we won't be able to find solutions.

I agree, suspension should not be an option in the early years however I would like to know the ratio of non-black to black children in the survey. Percentage play an important role in statistics.

I work in a preschool not a daycare with 4 teachers and 20 children. Most daycare settings can legally have 20 children with just 2 teachers, how can teachers help and support children who need time and attention to calm down as they are dealing with behaviors/emotions when there are not enough teachers in the classroom? In a previous post the topic of pay was addressed. Who is going to pay the teachers the higher pay they deserve--the government? As a society we don't seem to value the idea of stay-at-home mothers (or fathers)--there is no value attached to that, so what value do we expect to be attached to those that take over that monumental task of caring for children on a day to day basis? We don't really seem to value children---sadly, children are not those cars that someone just spend 40k on and want protected in the parking lot. We need more support for families and family structure---two parents working together to raise the family. We seem so obsessed with getting children to do more earlier--reading, mathematics--we forget that these early years are time to explore, to learn about relationships and behaviors. There are too many nonsensical demands placed on the teachers and the children. If we truly focused on their care, the learning would flow right along with it.