Social and Emotional Supports in Preschool Series- Post 2- Kicked Out of Preschool

     The single most popular topics on my blog are related to social/emotion supports and preschool behavior, so I am going to add a series of posts on this topic. I will cover topics such as: the perfectionist in the preschool classroom, ideas for calm spots, simple social storys/how to and why, and more. As challenging as behavior is, it is one of my favorite topics.  I get to do a little detective work to figure out what is causing the behavior and then troubleshoot solutions.  It was a topic that was covered extensively in my graduate school program because it behaviors are causing some concerning trends nationally. 

Article:  Preschoolers Behaving Badly

 http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=4176434&page=1

 Gilliam reported 6.7 expulsions per 1,000 preschoolers in the United States, compared with 2.09 per 1,000 for students in kindergarten through grade 12. In data collected from 2002-2004, rates ranged from zero per 1,000 students in Kentucky to more than 21 in New Mexico.

     So, there are three times more children getting kicked out of preschool.  And if you do a little digging, you learn these are just typical 3 and 4 year-olds.

Article: Preschool Expulsions Explained

 http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/johnson/article/Preschool-expulsions-explained-2669217.php

"Kids are coming into group settings unprepared for the kinds of stimulation and encounters they experience with other children, the environment and staff," said Grace Manning-Orenstein, a psychologist and the director of The Link to Children, known as TLC. The 10-year-old mental health intervention service contracts with child care centers in Oakland, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Emeryville and Pleasanton.
"The expulsion situation we've known about forever," Orenstein added. "At age 3, you are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt, but by 4 or 5 (the centers) just don't want to put up with you anymore."

     These kids are very young and just learning how to resolve conflicts and handle big emotions so it is concerning when the "go to" tool for center owners and directors becomes expulsion.  But in many cases, they just don't have other tools.  Consider these posts part of your teaching tool box!  And if you are experiencing a challenging behavior, please post a comment about it and I just may feature it on my blog. :-)