Educators in recent months have sounded the alarm about a troubling trend nationwide: more preschoolers getting expelled and suspended.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the expulsion and suspension rate is three times more for preschoolers than children in kindergarten through 12th grades. Dr. Tim Zeng, with the Early Education Leaders Institute, presented his research Thursday in Minnesota, revealing 49% of pre-school teachers said they suspended a student in the past year.
Black children account for almost 50% of public preschool suspensions but less than one-fifth of all preschoolers.
Children with disabilities are also more likely to be suspended, and boys are expelled 4.5 times more than girls, his research showed.
"The children have to learn about the problem-solving skill in the classroom setting instead of just sending them home," Zeng said.
In Minnesota, one school is part of the solution in turning the page on pre-school expulsion and suspension rates that have educators sounding the alarm. Grace Neighborhood Nursery School, a preschool in Minneapolis, takes an individualized approach with each student.
"They are living in the real world, and we have to understand their world, so that we can tailor our strategies to meet them where they are," said Barb Murphy, the school's executive director.
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Murphy said early developmental years are foundational for lifelong success.
"We want every child to leave here to say, 'I like school, and I know how to do school,'" she stated.
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Murphy said in the 10 years she has been at Grace Neighborhood, they have never expelled a child. She believes a big reason for their success is because class sizes are small, and they have the staff to be able to give students the one-on-one time they may need. Unfortunately, this is a luxury not all preschools have.
