Join Us for a Clinical Roundtable on

Expulsion and Suspension in
Early Childhood Settings 

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 from 6-8pm
at Bank Street College of Education 

Register Now! 

BACKGROUND:

In a joint position paper issued in December 2014, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Education Department called on states to address the problem of disciplinary exclusions in preschool settings.  The New York State Board of Regents made recommendations based on the position paper in May 2015, and the State Education Department followed with a Field Advisory on July 2015 calling for direct action by preschool program directors.  Background Information provided by the Regents showed that nationally preschool children were expelled three times more frequently than K-12 students in 2005, and that New York State’s prekindergarten programs had the expulsion rates that were among the highest of 52 state programs. 

The position paper and advisory had an immediate impact.  Within New York City, expulsion and suspensions are now expressly prohibited in PreK for all early learning NYC programs. Shortened school days, as an alternative to suspension, cannot be imposed in these programs without written parental consent and express approval from the Department of Education.

OUR ROUNDTABLE:

A Clinical Roundtable scheduled for January 12, 2016 will bring together teacher-educators, lawyers, social workers, and clinicians to review the strategies and interventions that can be effective in avoiding suspension and expulsion. Participants in the Roundtable will include practitioners who are directly involved in providing mental health consultation and professional development in general education and special education settings. All participants have had direct experience in balancing the needs of children having difficulty adjusting to group experiences with the needs of others whose experiences are negatively impacted by disruption in the classroom setting.

NY Zero to Three Board members Margie Brickley, Director of Infant and Early Childhood education programs at Bank Street College; Bonnie Cohen, Director of Early Childhood Clinical Services at University Settlement House; Randi Levine, attorney and Director of the Early Childhood Education Project at Advocates For Children; and Marion Katzive, a lawyer in private  practice, will lead the Roundtable which will also include Leslie Koplow, Bank Street’s Director  of Emotionally Responsive Practice, and Monica Zenda, a Director of the Alcott School in Westchester County.

Roundtable participants will address the policies and practices that are being encouraged and mandated by State and City agencies to prevent exclusion from early childhood settings. The SED Field Advisory urges directors of preschool programs to seek professional development for staff on social-emotional and behavioral issues and to seek resources for mental health consultation. Participants will address these directives and offer practical suggestions.

INFORMATION:

• Click on the registration button below to sign up to attend this Roundtable.
• Fees are $25 for members, $30 for non-members.  You can renew your membership or join New York Zero-to-Three Network as a member when you register for just an additional $60. Being a member gives you discounts to all our events, including our annual spring conference! 
• We prefer payment prior to the event, which is easy using our registration form via this e-mail. If you need to send a check, checks should be made out to The New York Zero-to-Three Network and mailed to: PO Box 60, 3 Mahopac Avenue, Amawalk, NY 10501.  
• Payments made at the event should be in exact change please. 
• This Roundtable will be held at Bank Street College of Education, on 112th Street off Broadway. 
• Questions?  Contact Pamela at  or at 718.638.7788.

We hope to see you on January 12th! 

Register Now!