Eliminating early childhood suspensions: lessons in real-world change
Written by michael ramsey
If you asked me a year ago what came to mind when thinking about early care and education, I would have conjured some pretty traditional images. Toddlers adorned with finger paint. Play-Doh of various colors, sculpted into comically unrecognizable shapes. The joyful sounds of children, with their infectious laughs and with their futures brimming with promise.
You can, then, imagine what it felt to learn more about a startling truth in early care and education in America: the widespread suspensions and expulsions of young children, many barely old enough to walk.
The desire to upend what has become an unfortunate status quo recently led me to Charlotte, North Carolina for the National Black Child Institute’s (NBCDI) national conference. I joined our partners from the North Carolina Coalition for Inclusion, Not Expulsions to talk about the work we’re doing to create a North Carolina where all young children and families have fair and equitable opportunities to fully participate in early care and education settings.
the data: centering equity
Studies show that the greatest predictors of preschool expulsion are the three B’s: “big, Black or boy.” Preschoolers are more likely to be suspended than children in any other grade, with Black children more than twice as likely to be suspended or expelled than other children.
This is an urgent issue that affects all North Carolina communities. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, “47% of children suspended once and 73% of children suspended more than once were Black in 2015-16.” The overwhelming racial disparities in early care and education exclusionary practices make this one of the most significant racial justice issues of our time.
That is why it was so powerful attending the NBCDI national conference and seeing so many experts, activists and community leaders – the vast majority of them Black and people of color – gathered in one place with a single purpose: increasing the quality of life for Black kids.
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the power of collaboration
Over the past year, our team here at Forthright has been partnering with the North Carolina Coalition for Inclusion, Not Expulsions to begin the hard work of eliminating early care and education suspensions and expulsions in the state.
The Coalition includes researchers, care providers, families and advocates with distinct expertise in and experiences across the early childhood field. This collaborative group of partners is committed to identifying the most effective policy and practice solutions needed to create lasting change in the early care and education system.
I joined Coalition Chair Valerie Jarvis McMillan and Coalition member Nina Smith to present at the NBCDI national conference and highlight the Coalition’s progress, as well as the challenges we’ve faced along this journey.
This is a journey we are not taking on alone. The united voices of early care and education professionals, families and policymakers are all essential to change the course. That’s why we’re:
working with local organizations and early childhood professionals who are leading work in their communities,
incorporating family input and research, and
reviewing data on root causes and looking at all the research available on the policies, supports and practices that truly work when it comes to ending the practice of removing children from care.
branding and messaging matter
It is not only imperative that we talk about this issue. How we talk about it matters as well. That’s why one of the first steps in this journey has been solidifying a clear voice for the Coalition.
With this in mind, Forthright was tasked with developing:
messaging for the Coalition, empowering us to communicate effectively with key audiences, and
developing a brand identity that ensures consistency and clarity in how we present ourselves to the world.
Throughout this process, we strove to be as collaborative as possible while maintaining a laser focus on equitable outcomes for Black children. Together, we created messaging and branding guides, along with a new logo that captures the Coalition’s approach to eliminating racial disparities in early care and education exclusionary practices.
Our presentation at the NBCDI national conference was the culmination of a yearslong effort. It was beyond satisfying to see the Coalition’s visual identity come to life publicly for the first time. There is much work yet to be done, and we're looking forward to our continued partnership with the Coalition to build a better world for North Carolina children and families.
A world where hopefully finger paint, Play-Doh, and inclusivity are once again the defining traits of early care and education.
