Summary of Research on the Dimensions Contributing to Expulsion and Suspension in Early Childhood Settings

As States and Territories consider strategies to prevent and ultimately eliminate expulsion and suspension in the early years, they need to explore why early learning programs suspend or expel young children. This document summarizes the four dimensions of the problem: 1) the structure of quality with policies that increase the likelihood of expulsion and suspension; 2) the absence of deep understanding of child development, 3) racial disparities in discipline, and 4) young children who need more and different support than can be provided by an educator or an early learning setting alone.