Helpful Resources

If you are visiting this site, you probably have some questions or concerns about a child in your care. We hope that you find some ideas and supportive strategies on this page. Your role in supporting the child behind the behavior is so vital to the long-term outcomes and well-being of that child. Be sure that you are taking care of yourself and the other staff who are working with the child. Some of the links will provide ideas for supporting the adults, many of the links lead to strategies, forms, or other information.

So what is Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood Programs?

While there are multiple definitions of the terms, this site uses the following definitions:

Expulsion: Terminating the child’s participation in the program (even if saying “not a good fit” etc.).
Out-of-school suspension: not allowing the child to attend the program for a certain number of hours in a day or a certain number of days
In-school suspension: Sending the child out of the classroom to the “office” or another classroom for a significant portion of the day (over 25% of the time the child is in school)

With the passage of Assembly Bill 752, there is an increased need for tools and materials that can support early care and education programs, particularly California State Preschool Programs, as they work to support ALL children to be successful in their early care and education settings. Below are some resources that may be helpful to implement AB752 requirements (Management Bulletin 18-06). There are also training and technical assistance projects funded through the California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division that may be available to support some programs.

Preventing Suspensions and Expulsions in Early Childhood Settings

Good starting point. Very comprehensive information and self-assessment with resources.

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California Inclusion and Behavior Consultation (CIBC) Network

Request onsite technical assistance to build capacity of staff to respond effectively to children with challenging behaviors, disabilities and/or other special needs. Consultation services are provided at no cost to eligible early care and education programs.

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Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First

Adults need to focus on remaining calm during challenging episodes so that they can effectively interact with and support children with challenging behavior. Use these resources for the adults (teachers and family members) who are working in stressful situations.

California Tools to Focus on Prevention

Several tools and checklists to help teaching teams be systematic in examining the potential contributors to challenging behavior and in documenting strategies they are using to prevent challenging behavior.

Articles, Videos & Webinars on Expulsion

Expulsion and Suspension are hot topics all over the country. Here are a few recent articles as well as some webinars that are available from national resources.

Child Care State Capacity Tool to Prevent Expulsion

This online tool lays out a rubric for a range of policy options to promote young children’s social-emotional development and reduce the likelihood of expulsion and suspension in early learning settings.

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Resources to Share with Families

This section contains articles, links, and tools that can either be directly shared with family members or used to help staff think about how to communicate with families about challenging behavior.

California Department of Education, Early Learning and Care Division Resources

The Early Learning and Care Division of the California Department of Education funds many statewide projects, products, and activities with resources that may be helpful to programs.

Special Education Information

Supporting Inclusive Practice.

About Us

Preventing Suspension and Expulsion of Young Children in Child Care & Early Education Settings is led by the California Collaborative on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CA CSEFEL) Leadership Team (PDF) that is funded by the California Department of Education and includes many state agencies and their training partners.