Stopping Suspension in Early Childhood: Suggestions and Strategies

157 Vol. 26, No. 3, September 2023 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN https://doi.org/10.1177/10962506211068069 DOI: 10.1177/10962506211068069 journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2021 Division for Early Childhood Anthony is an energetic boy who is happiest building with blocks or showing off his dance moves. He loves to compete with his friends on the playground to see who can run the fastest or swing the highest. Melissa, a preschool teacher in an inclusive half-day program, is frustrated that Anthony does not listen to directions and frequently tells her “No,” especially when asked to participate in large group. Every year it seems she has at least one child whose behavior she finds persistently challenging, and this year she increasingly feels there is rarely a time throughout the morning when Anthony’s behavior meets her expectations. Recently, after Anthony hit another child twice during morning meeting, Melissa called his grandfather to pick him up early. She did not know what else to do and thought that going home might help Anthony learn that he cannot hit the other children. Unfortunately, Melissa’s experience with Anthony is a common occurrence in countless early childhood programs. Many early educators struggle with how to address challenging behaviors that they feel are persistent, and in fact, challenging behavior is identified as teachers’ most pressing training need (Stormont & Young-Walker, 2017). Feeling unprepared to prevent and intervene on challenging behavior 1068069 YECXXX10.1177/10962506211068069YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol. X, No. X, Month XXXXShort Title / O’Grady et al. research-article2021