Integrating Teacher Well-Being into Legislative Efforts to Curb Exclusionary Discipline in Early Care and Education Settings

Abstract

There are mounting efforts to curb high rates of exclusionary discipline, such as suspension and expulsion, from preschool settings through statewide legislation. Mandated bans or restrictions on exclusionary discipline in state-funded programs have been largely ineffective in reducing exclusionary discipline rates and associated gender and racial disparities. Prior reviews of existing legislation highlight ways in which this legislation largely ignores teacher well-being (e.g., stress, mental health), despite its known influence on children’s expulsion risk. This policy brief reviews the evidence regarding teacher well-being and exclusionary discipline, identifies empirically informed recommendations for centering teacher well-being in future expulsion prevention legislation, and discusses implications for social work and interdisciplinary practitioners.

Keywords

preschool suspension expulsion stress emotion regulation policy

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abt Associates. (2021). Appendix: Healthcare, early care and education, information technology, and production/manufacturing career trajectories and occupational transition findings. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

Allen

Meek

Alexander

Palomino

Blevins

Catherine

Mcintosh

Hemmeter

M. L.

Powell

Soto-Boykin

(2022). A holistic approach to ending exclusionary discipline for young learners: A review of the data, research, and multi-dimensional solutions. https://childandfamilysuccess.asu.edu/sites/default/files/2022-09/exclusionary-discipline-093022-1.pdf

Buell

Kuntz

Whitaker

Hustedt

J. T.

Slicker

Woelki

(2024). Policies addressing suspension and expulsion in state early care and education subsystems: A national census of policy alignment and integration. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 67, 191–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECRESQ.2023.12.009

BUILD Initiative. (2024). Beyond bans and the challenge we face: Crafting effective state strategies to reduce suspension and expulsion in early childhood settings. https://buildinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/POV_SuspensionandExpulsion_Final.pdf

Cheng

Koralek

Robinson

Russell

Schwartz

Sarna

(2018). Abt associates. Career pathways in early care and education. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

Chow

K. A.

Smith

Park

C. E.

Grindal

Edge

N. A. C.

(2024). Implementation of a comprehensive state effort to reduce exclusionary discipline in early care and education settings: Arkansas’s policy. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 67, 330–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECRESQ.2024.01.007

Clayback

K. A.

Hemmeter

M. L.

(2021). Exclusionary discipline practices in early childhood settings: A survey of child care directors. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 55, 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECRESQ.2020.11.002

Conners Edge

N. A.

Kyzer

Davis

A. E.

Whitman

. (2022). Infant and early childhood mental health consultation in the context of a statewide expulsion prevention initiative. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 32(3), 315–336. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2021.1983440

Fabes

R. A.

Shen

Catherine

McDonald

Low

Xie

(2024). Relations of the use of out-of-school suspensions in U.S. public pre-kindergarten programs to neighborhood opportunity. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 2, Article 1479290. https://doi.org/10.3389/FDPYS.2024.1479290/BIBTEX

10.

Friedman-Krauss

A. H.

Raver

C. C.

Morris

P. A.

Jones

S. M.

(2014). The role of classroom-level child behavior problems in predicting preschool teacher stress and classroom emotional climate. Early Education and Development, 25(4), 530–552. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2013.817030

11.

Garro

Giordano

Gubi

Shortway

(2019). A consultation approach to target exclusionary discipline of Students of color in early childhood education. Contemporary School Psychology, 25, 124–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-019-00258-9

12.

Gilliam

W. S.

(2008, January). Implementing policies to reduce the likelihood of preschool expulsion. Foundation for Child Development Policy Series (Brief Series, No. 7). New York: Foundation for Child Development. http://www.ziglercenter.yale.edu/publications/PreKExpulsionBrief2_tcm350-34772_tcm350-284-32.pdf

13.

Gilliam

W. S.

Maupin

A. N.

Reyes

C. R.

Accavitti

Shic

Fontaine

J. J.

Holloway

Stevenson

(2016). Do early educators’ implicit biases regarding sex and race relate to behavior expectations and recommendations of preschool expulsions and suspensions? https://files-profile.medicine.yale.edu/documents/75afe6d2-e556-4794-bf8c-3cf105113b7c

14.

Gilliam

W. S.

Shahar

(2006). Preschool and child care expulsion and suspension: Rates and predictors in one state. Infants & Young Children, 16(3), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001163-200607000-00007

15.

Byun

Lang

Jeon

(2024). Qualitative study on Social-Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T): A professional development intervention promoting early childhood educators’ knowledge of emotional well-being. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 33(4), 727–741. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2024.2425947

16.

Hagermoser Sanetti

L. M.

Boyle

A. M.

Magrath

Cascio

Moore

. (2020). Intervening to decrease teacher stress: A review of current research and new directions. Contemporary School Psychology, 25(4), 416–425. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40688-020-00285-X

17.

Hoffstein-Rahmey

Giordano

Murphy

K. M.

Reizin-Friedman

Coyne

(2024). Soft expulsion: What happens when school-based supports aren’t enough. School Mental Health, 16, 1171–1182. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12310-024-09683-5/TABLES/4

18.

Jackman

K. N.

Caldarella

Warren

J. S.

(2025). Efficacy of an online mindfulness training to improve well-being in teachers: A randomized waitlist controlled trial. Mindfulness, 16(1), 149–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/S12671-024-02494-4/TABLES/5

19.

Lang

S. N.

Jeon

Sproat

E. B.

Brothers

B. E.

Buettner

C. K.

(2020). Social Emotional Learning for Teachers (SELF-T): A short-term, online intervention to increase early childhood educators’ resilience. Early Education and Development, 31(7), 1112–1132. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1749820

20.

Loomis

A. M.

Davis

Cruden

Padilla

Drazen

(2022). Early childhood suspension and expulsion: A content analysis of state legislation. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50, 327–344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01159-4

21.

Loomis

A. M.

Freed

Coffey

(2023). Inhibitory control, student–teacher relationships, and expulsion risk in preschools: An indirect effects path analysis. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(1), 179–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01287-x

22.

Loomis

A. M.

Panlilio

C. C.

(2022). Trauma-informed attitudes, teacher stress, and expulsion decision risk in preschool classrooms. School Mental Health, 14, 918–932.

23.

Malik

(2017). New data reveal 250 preschoolers are suspended or expelled every day. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/news/2017/11/06/442280/new-data-reveal-250-preschoolers-suspended-expelled-every-day/

24.

Martin

K. A.

Bosk

Bailey

(2018). Teachers’ perceptions of childcare and preschool expulsion. Children and Society, 32(2), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12228

25.

McCann

Smith

Nguyen

Granja

M. R.

(2021). States’ growing commitment to preventing young children’s expulsion from early care and education programs: Results of a 50-state policy survey. https://www.nccp.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/States-Growing-Commitment-to-Preventing-Young-Childrens-Expulsion-from-ECE-Programs.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

26.

McLean

Austin

L. J. E.

Powell

Jaggi

Kim

Knight

Muñoz

Schlieber

(2024). Early childhood workforce index – 2024. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California. https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2024/

27.

Miller

Smith-Bonahue

Kemple

(2017). Preschool teachers’ responses to challenging behavior: The role of organizational climate in referrals and expulsions. International Research in Early Childhood Education, 8(1), 38–57.

28.

National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance. (2017). Ali compendium 2016 fact sheets: Use of observational tools in QRIS. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/resource/compendium-of-quality-rating-systems-and-evaluations

29.

Rogers

McNamara

(2023). Early childhood educator’s burnout: A systematic review of the determinants and effectiveness of interventions. Issues in Educational Research, 1, 173–206. https://www-proquest-com-s.web.bisu.edu.cn/docview/2839828795?accountid=14677&pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals

30.

Schaack

D. D.

V. N.

Stedron

(2020). When fulfillment is not enough: Early childhood teacher occupational burnout and turnover intentions from a job demands and resources perspective. Early Education and Development, 31(7), 1011–1030. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1791648

31.

Schilder

Iruka

Dichter

Mathias

(2015). Quality rating and improvement systems: Stakeholder theories of change and models of practice study report, expert panel reflections and recommendations. https://buildinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/QRIS-3.0-Report-V11-2016.2.5-FINAL.pdf

32.

Silver

H. C.

Davis Schoch

A. E.

Loomis

A. M.

Park

C. E.

Zinsser

K. M.

(2023). Updating the evidence: A systematic review of a decade of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) research. In Infant Mental Health Journal, 44(1), 5–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.22033

33.

Sprague

J. R.

Vincent

C. G.

Tobin

T. J.

, & CHiXapkaid. (2013). Preventing disciplinary exclusions of students from American Indian/Alaska native backgrounds. Family Court Review, 51(3), 452–459. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12042

34.

Tseng

Seidman

(2007). A systems framework for understanding social settings. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39(3–4), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10464-007-9101-8/FIGURES/2

35.

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. (2014). Data snapshot: Early childhood education (suspension policies in early childhood settings).

36.

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. (2016). 2013-2014 civil rights data collection: A first look.

37.

von der Embse

Ryan

S. V.

Gibbs

Mankin

. (2019). Teacher stress interventions: A systematic review. Psychology in the Schools, 56(8), 1328–1343. https://doi.org/10.1002/PITS.22279

38.

Walsh

T. B.

Paris

Ribaudo

Gilkerson

(2021). Locating infant and early childhood mental health at the heart of social work. Social Work, 66(3), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1093/SW/SWAB022

39.

Zeng

Corr

C. P.

Grady

C. O.

Guan

(2019). Adverse childhood experiences and preschool suspension expulsion: A population study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 97, 104149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104149

40.

Zeng

Pereira

Larson

Corr

C. P.

O’Grady

Stone-MacDonald

(2021). Preschool suspension and expulsion for young children with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 87(2), 199–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402920949832

41.

Zinsser

K. M.

Coba-Rodriguez

Lowe-Fotos

(2024). A qualitative comparison of parents’ experiences of early childhood expulsion following a legislative ban. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 18(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40723-024-00132-Z/TABLES/1

42.

Zinsser

K. M.

Silver

H. C.

Hussaini

Zulauf

C. A.

(2019). Evaluation report of the implementation of Illinois Public Act 100-0105: Early childhood programs’ knowledge of and response to the 2018 expulsion legislation.

43.

Zinsser

K. M.

Silver

H. C.

Shenberger

E. R.

Jackson

(2022). A systematic review of early childhood exclusionary discipline. Review of Educational Research, 92(5), 743–785. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211070047

44.

Zinsser

K. M.

Zulauf

C. A.

Nair Das

Callie Silver

(2017). Utilizing social-emotional learning supports to address teacher stress and preschool expulsion. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 61, 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.11.006

45.

Zulauf-McCurdy

C. A.

Zinsser

K. M.

(2020). How teachers’ perceptions of the parent–teacher relationship affect children’s risk for early childhood expulsion. Psychology in the Schools, 58(1), 69–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22440