Commission Meeting Materials August 23, 2016 8:00 A.M. - Child Care Expulsion Policy

1 2 CHILD CARE EXPULSION POLICY 3 DISCUSSION PAPER 4 5 Background 6 Section 658E(c)(2)(E) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (CCDBG 7 Act) requires that lead agencies certify that they will disseminate to parents, providers, and the 8 general public state policies on expulsion of preschool-aged children (children from birth to age 9 five for purposes of this requirement) in early childhood programs receiving services through the 10 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). 11 12 Section 2.2.7(c) of the CCDF State Plan requires that states: 13  have a written policy regarding preventing expulsion of preschool-aged children in early 14 childhood programs receiving child care assistance; 15  describe how the state or territory makes information about that policy available to parents, 16 providers, and the general public (what the state provides, how it is provided, and any 17 partners used); and 18  provide a link to the information. 19 20 Issue 21 Currently, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) does not have a policy regarding expulsion 22 of children receiving subsidized child care services. 23 24 Recommendation 25 Staff recommends adopting the policy statement below regarding expulsion reduction and 26 prevention to meet the CCDBG Act’s requirements. 27 28 Policy Statement 29 TWC is committed to providing support and resources to child care and early education 30 providers, caregivers, and parents to assist in creating positive classroom climates, and in 31 developing strategies to appropriately address challenging behaviors in order to reduce 32 suspensions or expulsions from the child care setting. 33 34 Recommendations 35 Staff recommends that the policy statement, along with links to professional development 36 resources available to child care providers—as shown in the attached document—be posted on 37 the Texas Child Care Solutions website for access by parents and the public and on the Child 38 Care Attendance Automation provider portal for access by child care providers. 39 40 Staff also recommends that the expulsion policy posted on the Texas Child Care Solutions 41 website include a reference to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Office of 42 Consumer Affairs Hotline at 1-800-720-7777 43 (http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Contact_Us/Questions_and_Complaints/OCA.asp) if a parent wishes to 44 submit a complaint regarding expulsions from a child care provider. 45

DP – Child Care Expulsion Policy (08 23 16)Notebook 1 1 Additionally, staff recommends that the Child Care Services Guide be updated to clarify that an 2 expulsion by a provider does not render a child ineligible for continued care and that the Local 3 Workforce Development Board’s child care contractor work closely with the parent to resume 4 child care services with another provider as quickly as possible. 5

DP – Child Care Expulsion Policy (08 23 16)Notebook 2 1 Texas Workforce Commission 2 Expulsion Reduction and Prevention Policy Statement 3 4 On November 19, 2014, the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (CCDBG 5 Act) was signed into law. The CCDBG Act reauthorized the Child Care and Development Fund 6 (CCDF) and requires states providing CCDF child care services to provide information to 7 parents, the general public, and child care providers regarding the state policies on the expulsion 8 of preschool-aged children in early childhood programs caring for CCDF children. 9 10 Recent data from the U.S. Department of Education1, indicates that expulsions and suspensions 11 occur at high rates in preschool settings. Further research indicates that high rates of expulsions 12 and suspensions are associated with negative educational and life outcomes.2 Additionally, 13 consistent, stable, and reliable child care is a vital component to working parents and employers 14 in Texas. Expulsion or suspension from child care and early education settings is disruptive to 15 the child’s development and the parent’s workforce participation. 16 17 Policy Statement 18 TWC is committed to providing support and resources to child care and early education 19 providers, caregivers and parents to assist in creating positive classroom climates, and in 20 developing strategies to appropriately address challenging behaviors in order to reduce 21 suspensions or expulsions from the child care setting. 22 23 Professional Development Resources Available to Child Care Programs Regarding 24 Guidance, Discipline, and Challenging Behavior 25 TWC, in partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Texas 26 A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will provide free or low-cost online professional development 27 courses designed to assist caregivers who work with children with challenging behavior and 28 special needs. 29 30 TWC highly encourages child care providers serving TWC-funded children to make the courses 31 part of staff development and ongoing staff training. 32 33 Guidance and Discipline Courses 34 (http://extensiononline.tamu.edu/courses/courseListByCatID.php?category=28&pCatTitle=Child 35 %20Care&subtitle=Guidance+and+Discipline) 36  Positive Guidance and Discipline 37  Positive Guidance and Discipline: Why, What, and How? 38  Responding to Challenging Infant Toddler Behavior 39  Trouble in the Classroom: Overcoming Challenging Behaviors in the Early Childhood 40 Classroom 41 42 Free Infant and Toddler Courses

1 1 U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Data Snapshot: Early Childhood Education. 2 2 The Council of State Governments, Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline 3 Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement.

DP – Child Care Expulsion Policy (08 23 16)Notebook 3 1 (http://infanttoddler.tamu.edu/courses/courseListByCatID.php?cattitle=Best 2 %20Practice&catid=49) 3  Responding to Challenging Infant Toddler Behavior 4  Introduction to Infant and Toddler Social Emotional Development 5 6 Free Preschool and School-age Courses 7 (http://infanttoddler.tamu.edu/courses/courseListByCatID.php?cattitle=Inclusion&catid=96) 8  Strategies for Caring for Preschool and School-age Children with Challenging Behaviors 9 10 Free Training Resources for Parents 11 (http://infanttoddler.tamu.edu/index.php) 12 Infant and Toddler Training 13  Handling Infants’ and Toddlers’ Challenging Behavior 14  What Parents Need to Know about Infant and Toddler Development 15  Infant and Toddler Social Emotional Development 16 17 Suggested Guiding Principles for Reducing and Eliminating Suspensions and Expulsions 18 TWC also encourages child care providers to review and consider adopting the principles in the 19 U.S. Department of Education’s Guiding Principles: A Resource Guide for Improving School 20 Climate and Discipline (http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/school-discipline/guiding- 21 principles.pdf). 22 23

DP – Child Care Expulsion Policy (08 23 16)Notebook 4