Every Child Belongs

According to recent research data, young children in early childhood settings are being expelled or suspended at a high rate, and children of color and children with disabilities are disproportionately affected. The high rate of suspension and expulsion harms children and families, causing negative outcomes in children’s development, health, and education.

A 2005 study of state-funded programs, “Prekindergarteners left behind: Expulsion rates in state prekindergarten program ,” revealed that the rate of preschool expulsion was more than three times greater than the national rate of expulsion for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

More recently, the United States Department of Education released the results of its Civil Rights Data Collection. The results on preschool data reveals that “6,743 children who were enrolled in public pre-K received one or more out-of-school suspensions in the 2013-14 school year.” Data also shows that black and African American preschool children are 3.6 times more likely to be suspended than white children.

In Fall of 2020, DELC contracted with Portland State University’s Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services and OSLC Developments, Inc. to conduct a statewide survey and listening sessions with families . The survey asked families to indicate if they had ever been told that their child “might need to ‘take a break’ or leave care, either permanently or temporarily”. More than 6% of all children were asked to leave care. When asked why the child was asked to leave, thirty-five percent of parents indicated the reason was that the provider could not handle the child’s behavior towards other children or adults.

The root causes of suspension and expulsion are complex and varied. As a result, this program must include solutions that reflect and respond to the complex and varied challenges being faced.

Infant And Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

When providers contact Every Child Belongs, they may be connected with Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC), technical assistance, or another resource for support. IECMHC is considered a promising practice for reducing rates of preschool suspension and expulsion and is newly available statewide through Every Child Belongs.  

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) is a prevention-based approach to working with early care and education programs in support of young children’s social and emotional development.

• meeting the social-emotional needs of children
• supporting the knowledge, skills, and capacity of ECE providers
• early childhood suspension and expulsion prevention

Through regular work with consultants, early learning and care providers gain a greater understanding of children’s behavior and social-emotional development within the context of family, community, and culture, as well as skills to support inclusive practices in their child care settings.

In January 2022, Portland State University’s Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services School of Social Work published a report to provide guidance for the program, “ Centering Racial Equity: Design Considerations for Oregon’s Statewide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) Program .” This report was made possible by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) grant program awarded to the Early Learning Division.

For more information about IECMHC , visit www.iecmhc.org/.