Topics: preschool to prison, disabled Black preschoolers and preschoolers of color, preschool trauma, caregivers, preschool staff, resources
Goal
The Trauma Informed Practice in Preschool Supports (TIPPS) project helps caregivers and early childhood educators. It gives them tools and ideas to use trauma informed care. These tools can help lower the use of punishments that take kids out of preschool, like suspensions and expulsions.
When preschoolers are having a hard time, such as feeling upset, overwhelmed, or stressed, they may act out. In response, educators may send these children home for a few days or kick them out of school. This is called suspension or expulsion. Black and Brown children and children with disabilities get asked to leave school more. Suspension is when they get asked to leave for a few days. Expulsion is when they get asked to leave and not come back. These actions take children out of class, make them feel bad about school, and cause them to fall behind in learning. Over time, this can make it more likely children will get in trouble with the law when they grow up. This process is called the preschool to prison pipeline (PS2PP).
Even short times away from the classroom or school can make children feel shame or doubt. These feelings can make it harder for kids to learn, feel confident, and do well in school and life.
Partners
Supported by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council, in collaboration with Dr. Amy Lynch of Temple University’s Barnett College of Public Health.
History
Expulsion means to tell a child to leave school and not come back. Suspension means to tell a child to take a break and come back to school in a few days. Expulsion and suspension are leaving kids out of school and learning. Children in preschool (Pre-K) are expelled three times more than students in K-12 (Zeng et al, 2019; Gilliam, et al, 2016). Black preschoolers received out-of-school suspensions at a rate of nearly twice their enrollment (US DOE 2022). One out of four preschool children are disabled. But, six out of ten children expelled are disabled. (US DOE 2022).
History: Read more
Students of color, due to racism are having worse experiences. Students with disabilities, due to ableism, are also having bad experiences. And, the worst outcomes are for disabled Black boys.
Black students, students of color, and students with disabilities are often misdiagnosed and pushed into special education. Or they are denied accommodations or supports they need. When students don’t receive necessary supports, they behave to get their needs met. This behavior may look like acting out. When educators don’t receive the training they need, they may respond to challenging behaviors by excluding students.
The school to prison pipeline means that students of color and students with disabilities often face being pushed out of school. This can lead to them being placed in places like detention centers, jails, or prisons. This happens often because adults misunderstand behavior or treat students unfairly.
Preschoolers who get suspended or kicked out do not go straight to the justice system. But being left out or punished at a young age can make children feel shame and doubt themselves. These feelings can make children act out. When children act out, adults may find it hard to know how to help.
If this keeps happening, children may get suspended or kicked out more. Later, when they are in grade school, suspensions and expulsions increase the chance they will have trouble with the law.
To stop this from happening, we need to help children feel like they belong. We need to help them feel able and confident.
References
Gilliam, W. S., Maupin, A. N., Reyes, C. R., Accavitti, M., & Shic, F. (2016). Do early educators’ implicit biases regarding sex and race relate to behavior expectations and recommendations of preschool expulsions and suspensions. Yale University Child Study Center, 9(28), 1-16.
Zeng, S., Corr, C. P., O’Grady, C., & Guan, Y. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and preschool suspension expulsion: A population study. Child abuse & neglect, 97, 104149.
Contact: Please email [click-for-email] or call Eva Weiss at 215-204-7177 with any questions or concerns.