Abstract
Expulsion is the harshest form of disciplinary action, and behavior policies are the foundation for this decision-making process. The purpose of this study is to uncover how behavior policies used in early childhood settings describe expulsion practices. Among the 111 early childhood programs in Western Massachusetts that met the search criteria for this study, only 31 programs posted their behavior policies online. Twenty four of the 31 programs contained sections on expulsion and suspension in their behavioral policies. Data from the expulsion and suspension section of behavioral policies from 24 preschool and childcare programs were analyzed using content analysis. Themes related to child (e.g., child-behavior), program (e.g., goodness of fit), and family (e.g., communication) were found. The behavioral policies lacked detailed information about the expulsion process, which allows for the misuse of expulsion as a form of behavior management. Based on the results, implications for future research and practice on early childhood expulsion are discussed.
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DuShane, D., Yu, S. “Behavior that Endangers”: Analyzing Preschool and Childcare Expulsion and Suspension Policies. Early Childhood Educ J (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01528-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-023-01528-1