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PRESCHOOL INCLUSION: BUILDING COMPETENCE AND CONFIDENCE TO INCLUDE

EVERYONE AND EXCLUDE NO ONE

Tracie Dickson, OSEP, US ED Barbara J. Smith, University of Colorado Denver (ECTA)

Mary Louise Hemmeter, Vanderbilt University Rosemarie Allen, Metro State

Inclusion Institute, May 2016

SESSION OUTLINE

• Increasing Early Childhood Inclusion and Decreasing Suspension/Expulsion: Federal Position and Support

• Addressing Competence and Confidence to Include All Children Using The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence of Young Children and Infants

• Being Explicit about Implicit Bias

Federal Policy Statements

Expulsion and Suspension in Early

Childhood Settings

Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early

Childhood Programs

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Presentation Overview

•Nature of the Problem / Context that prompted action

•Overview of Federal Policy Statements

–Purpose and Rationale

–Recommended State Actions

–Recommended Local/Program Actions

–Examples of State and Local Actions

•Resources and Future Federal Activities

Federal Policy Statements

•Issued joint policy statements on matters of

pressing concern to all early childhood

programs regardless of setting or funding

stream

•Creates a common language and vision for

States and local programs to work from across

settings and funding streams

Federal Policy Statements

Expulsion and Suspension in Early

Childhood Settings

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd/child-health-

development/reducing-suspension-and-expulsion-practices

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Why Focus on Expulsion and Suspension?

•The importance and sensitive nature of the early years and expansion

of early education

•Children who are expelled or suspended are as much as 10 times more

likely to drop out of high school, experience academic failure and

grade retention, hold negative school attitudes, and face incarceration

than those who are not.

•Early expulsion or suspension predicts later expulsion or suspension.

•By some estimates, early expulsion rates are 3 or 4 higher than K12.

•Data consistently find large racial disparities, with young boys of color

being suspended and expelled at disproportionately high rates.

Context for Federal Policy Statement

•Dr. Gilliam’s landmark studies identifying high rates of expulsion in early learning settings.

•U.S. Department of ED’s Office of Civil Rights data on preschool suspension released in Spring of 2014.

•My Brother’s Keeper Taskforce: President’s Report includes the goal of eliminating expulsion and suspension practices in early learning settings.

•Department of Education and Justice’s efforts to improve school climate, including release of Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School Climate and Discipline.

•Advances in brain and developmental science and the Administration’s focus on increasing access to high-quality early learning programs.

Federal Policy Statement Goal

•Prevent, severely reduce, and ultimately

eliminate expulsion and suspension in early

childhood settings

•Improve school and program climates and

discipline across the educational spectrum

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Federal Policy Statement

Purposes

•Raise awareness;

•Provide recommendations to early childhood programs and States;

•Highlight early childhood workforce competencies and evidence-based interventions and approaches;

•Identify free resources to support States, programs, teachers, and providers; and

•Identify free resources to support families in fostering young children’s development, social-emotional and behavioral health, and relationships.

Recommendations to Early Childhood

Programs

1. Develop preventive guidance and discipline practices

–Social-emotional and behavioral health promotion practices

–Developmentally appropriate discipline and intervention procedures,

including specific guidance on what to do when a child demonstrates a

challenging behavior

–Practices and procedures should be used as learning opportunities to

guide children’s behavioral development

–Developmentally appropriate behavioral expectations

–Clearly communicated to all staff, families, and partners

–Implemented without bias or discrimination

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Recommendations to Early Childhood

Programs

2. Develop expulsion and suspension policies:

–Establish policies that eliminate or severely limit expulsion, suspension, or

other exclusionary discipline;

–Exclusionary measures should be used only as a last resort in

extraordinary circumstances where there is a determination of a serious

safety threat that cannot otherwise be reduced or eliminated by the

provision of reasonable modifications;

–Appropriate transitions if the need arises;

–Additional procedural safeguards for children with disabilities

–Ensure that policies developed and implemented in accordance with

applicable State and Federal statutes.

3. Access TA in workforce development to build capacity in:

–Promoting social-emotional and behavioral health;

–Developmental and behavioral screenings and follow-up;

–Collaborating with community-based service providers;

–Family relationships;

–Understanding culture and diversity;

–Employing self-reflective strategies to correct all biases;

•Access to Specialized Supports

–Mental health consultation;

–Early Childhood PBIS

•Address Teacher and Staff Wellness

–Stress, mental health, health,

–Working conditions

Recommendations to Early Childhood

Programs

Recommendations to Early Childhood Programs

4. Set Goals and Analyze Data to Assess Progress

–Example goals:

•Provide professional development on social-emotional

and behavioral health to all staff in one year; ensure that

50% of teachers have access to specialists or consultants in

two years; ensure that all lead teachers have access to

specialists or consultants in three years.

•Reduce the number of total suspensions and expulsions

program-wide by 50% in one year; eliminate all

expulsions and suspensions, with exceptions only in

extraordinary cases, in two years.

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Recommendations to States 1. Develop and Communicate Expulsion and Suspension Policies

–Establish statewide policies, applicable across settings, including publicly and privately funded early childhood programs, to promote children’s social-emotional and behavioral health and eliminate or severely limit the use of expulsion, suspension, and other exclusionary discipline practices.

–Appropriate transitions

–Clearly communicated to all relevant parties

–Under the CCDBG, States are required to disseminate consumer education information to parents, the general public, and child care providers, which may include policies on expulsions of children receiving support under CCDF.

Recommendations to States

2. Set Goals and Analyze Data to Assess Progress

–Develop roadmaps to eliminating expulsion and suspension,

informed by goals and data-driven progress monitoring.

–Build capacity to collect and analyze statewide data.

–Coordinate data systems across relevant systems.

Recommendations to States

3. Invest in Workforce Preparation and Development –CCDBG Act quality funds can be used to support on professional development that promotes social-emotional development and reduces challenging behavior and expulsions of young children served through CCDF.

–Mechanisms to strengthen workforce include: •Statewide Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

•State Endorsements of Infant, Early childhood and Family Mental Health Specialists

•State Entry Level Credentials

•Higher Education

•Statewide Models of PBIS

•Establishing career pathways

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Resources http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd/child-health-

development/reducing-suspension-and-expulsion-practices

Federal Policy Statement on

Inclusion of Children with

Disabilities in Early Childhood

Programs

www.ed.gov/early-learning/inclusion

Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with

Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

• It is the Departments’ position that all young

children with disabilities should have access to

inclusive high-quality early childhood

programs where they are provided with

appropriate support in meeting high

expectations

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Importance of Early Childhood Inclusion

•Being meaningfully included is the first step to equal

opportunity, and is every person’s right

•Research indicates that meaningful inclusion is beneficial to

children with and without disabilities

•Meaningful inclusion in high-quality early childhood

programs can support children with disabilities in reaching

their full potential resulting in broad societal benefits

•Inclusion in early childhood programs can set a trajectory

for inclusion across the course of an individual's life

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The Need to Focus on Inclusion in

Early Childhood

• Children with disabilities continue to face significant barriers

to accessing inclusive early childhood programs

• Too many preschool children with disabilities receive special

education services in settings separate from their peers

without disabilities

• While States have worked to expand access to high-quality

early learning programs, there has not been a

proportionate expansion of inclusive early learning

opportunities for young children with disabilities

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Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with

Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

• A “high-quality” early childhood program is

one that is inclusive of children with disabilities

and their families and ensures that policies,

funding, and practices enable their full

participation and success

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Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with

Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

•The Policy Statement:

•Sets an expectation for high-quality inclusion in early childhood

programs;

•Highlights the legal and research base for inclusion;

•Provides recommendations to States and local programs and

providers for increasing inclusive early learning opportunities for

all children; and

•Links to free resources for States, local programs and providers,

and families that have been developed to support inclusion of

children with disabilities in high-quality early education programs

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Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early

Childhood Programs

•Including children with disabilities in general early childhood

programs together with their peers without disabilities;

•Holding high expectations and intentionally promoting

participation in all learning and social activities, facilitated by

individualized accommodations; and

•Using evidence-based services and supports to foster their

development, friendships with peers, and sense of belonging.

This applies to all young children with disabilities, from those with

the mildest disabilities, to those with the most significant disabilities.

Recommendations for State Action

1. Create a State-Level Interagency Task Force and

Plan for Inclusion

2. Ensure State Policies are Consistent with High-

Quality Inclusion

3. Track Data on Goals on Inclusion

4. Review and Modify Resource Allocations

5. Ensure Quality Rating Frameworks are Inclusive

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Recommendations for State Action

6. Strengthen Accountability and Build Incentive

Structures

7. Build a Coordinated Early Childhood Professional

Development System

8. Implement Statewide Supports for Children’s Social

Emotional and Behavioral Health

9. Raise Public Awareness

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Recommendations for Local Action

1. Partner with Families

2. Adhere to Legal Provision of Supports and

Services in Inclusive Settings

3. Assess and Improve the Quality of Inclusion

4. Review and Modify Resource Allocations

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Recommendations for Local Action

5. Enhance Professional Development

6. Establish an Appropriate Staffing Structure and

Strengthen Staff Collaboration

7. Ensure Access to Specialized Supports

8. Develop Formal Collaborations with Community

Partners

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Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with

Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

•Families, early childhood programs, schools,

communities, and government at all levels must

develop a robust partnership to build a culture

of inclusion to ensure that all children have an

equal opportunity to thrive

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Tools and Resources

•Policy Statement

www.ed.gov/early-learning/inclusion

•Resources for States

www.ed.gov/early-learning/inclusion

Inclusion Resource Links

•https://elc.grads360.org/#Supporting

•http://www.ectacenter.org/topics/inclusion/de

fault.asp

•https://pdg.grads360.org/#program

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Federal Policy Statements: An Dynamic

Approach to High Quality Inclusion

•HHS/ED are taking a dynamic approach to ensuring

that young children have access to high quality early

learning programs.

•That approach integrates high quality inclusion, family

engagement and decreasing disparities.

•Announcing new Family Engagement Policy Statement

•Together these Policy Statements will help to ensure

that comprehensive services along with family

engagement leads to better outcomes for infants,

toddlers, young children and their families.

Questions?

Tracie.Dickson@ed.gov

Activity 10 mins.

At your tables:

• write 1 issue/challenge related to expulsion/suspension; 1 related to inclusion

• Write 1 possible solution for each

• Post all on “sticky wall”(1 idea per note paper)

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Overview of the Pyramid Model

Mary Louise Hemmeter

Vanderbilt University

Presentation: Inclusion Institute May 2016

Big Emotions

Social Competence (Jones, Greenberg, & Crowley, 2015)

• Children reported to have better social skills such as sharing, cooperating, and helping other children in K are:

– More likely to get a college degree and have a full time job

– Less likely to be arrested, use drugs or be on a waiting list for public housing

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Risk and Protective Factors

Outcome

Negative: Vulnerability

Positive: Resilience

Protective Factors

Environmental

Within-Child

Familial

Risk Factors

Environmental

Familial

Within-child

LeBuffe and Smith, 2009

Our Focus….

• Adopting a posture of support:

– Supporting all children

– Supporting all families

– Supporting all teachers and providers

• Promoting confidence and competence

The Context

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Young Children with Challenging

Behavior: What Do We Know?

What Teachers Say…

What Families Say

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

POLICY STATEMENT ON EXPULSION AND SUSPENSION POLICIES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

SETTINGS

2015

Pillars of Prevention

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The Need for A Comprehensive Approach: Positive Behavior Intervention and Support Models

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The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social-Emotional Competence and

Addressing Challenging Behavior

Universal promotion: All children

Secondary prevention: Some children

Tertiary intervention: Few children

Key Social-Emotional Skills

• Confidence

• Capacity to develop good relationships with peers and adults

• Concentration and persistence on challenging tasks

• Ability to effectively communicate emotions

• Ability to listen to instructions and be attentive

• Ability to solve social problems

What do children do when they don’t have each of these skills?

If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we...

…teach? …punish?

Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?

From: Tom Herner (NASDE President), Counterpoint, 1998, p.2

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How is what we do different (or the same) when a child has a disability?

The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social-Emotional Competence and

Addressing Challenging Behavior

Universal promotion: All children

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

- Benjamin Franklin

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“Every child needs one person

who is irrationally crazy about him.” Uri Bronfenbrenner

“Parents need to know that we care before

they care what we know”

(Klass, 1997)

Walter Gilliam

“I’ve never seen a case where a child was expelled from a preschool or child care program when the teachers and parents knew and liked

each other. I’ve never seen it once.”

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The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social-Emotional Competence and

Addressing Challenging Behavior

Universal promotion: All children

CLASSROOM SCHEDULES

TRANSITIONS

PEER SUPPORT

LARGE GROUP

The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social-Emotional Competence and

Addressing Challenging Behavior

Secondary prevention: Some children

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Teaching Social Skills and

Emotional Competencies

The Pyramid Model: Promoting Social-Emotional Competence and

Addressing Challenging Behavior

Tertiary intervention: Few children

Individualized Intensive Interventions

• Comprehensive interventions across all settings

• Assessment-based

• Collaborative team

• Skill-building

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INDIVIDUALIZING FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES…

Pillars of Prevention

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Status of Pyramid Practices in EC Classrooms

TPOT study n=50

Efficacy study n=40

Distance coaching n=33

Mean Range Mean Range Mean Range

Environ-mental items

6.0 3-7 5.05 3-6 6.34 4-7

Red flags 3.0 0-11 3.75 1-10 2.13 0-7

Percent of indicators

39.1% 14% to

73% 38.24%

16% to 74%

39.87% 14% to

66%

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Practice-Based Coaching

Teacher Implementation of Pyramid Model Practices

Effect Sizes X Wave

Wave 2 d = .59

Wave 3 d = 1.14

Wave 4 d = 1.52

Observations of Target Children’s Social Skills

Figure 2. Mean frequency of positive social interactions during 60 min observation session across waves for Cohort 1 target children whose teachers were in the intervention or control condition. An average of the frequency of positive social interactions for the 2 to 3 target children in each classroom was used to derive the means reported for each group at each wave.

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4

Intervention

Control

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Access to Behavioral Supports Associated with Lower Expulsion

14.3%

8.0%

10.3%

No Access On-Call Access On-Site Access

Access to Behavioral Support Staff

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The Promise, The Challenge

The Promise, The Challenge

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Program Wide Implementation

So, what do we need to do…

• Develop program policies that reduce the likelihood of suspension/expulsion

• Make a program wide commitment to all children

• Support teachers: – Coaching and support in the classroom

– Reduce stress

• Engage with families around promotion, prevention and intervention

So, what do we need to do…

• Develop process around behavior support for children with the most persistent problem behavior

• Provide access to mental health consultants

• Use data to track program incidences, behavior support planning, implementation etc.

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Leadership Team

Family Engagement

Program-Wide Expectations

Supports for Pyramid Model Practice Implementation

Systems to Identify and Respond to Individual

Child Needs

Continuous Professional

Development

Data Decision-Making Examining Implementation and Outcomes

Outcomes Associated with Program Wide Implementation

• Improvements in classroom quality

• More intentional instruction around social skills and emotional competencies

• Better relationships with families

• Decrease in problem behavior, increase in social skills

• Decrease MH dollars spent on intervention

• Decrease turnover

Fox Friends’ Teacher Notes

Dear Cameron,

We have loved having you in our classroom this year. It has been so much fun watching

you grow this year. You are such a special and amazing person. You have taught us many

things this year. Some of the lessons we will keep in our heart are:

1. Names are merely suggestions and really changing your name or adding an animal

to it makes things much more interesting.

2. Sometimes you just need a hand on your back to make scary things less scary.

3. Four minutes is just the right amount of time one needs to get ready to do a new task.

4. Anything can become a drum.

5. There’s no obstacle that a little love and patience cannot overcome.

We will miss you, Cameron, but we will have you in our hearts.

Clear eyes, full hearts

Fox Friends

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Thank you!!

Resources: Pyramid Model Consortium:

http://www.pyramidmodel.org/

TACSEI:

http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu/

CSEFEL:

http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/