The Unintended Consequences of Expulsion in Early Childhood Settings: Caregivers’ Perspectives

The prevalence of early childhood expulsion has been documented for close to two decades, with known disparities for children of color, children with disabilities, and children who have experienced trauma. While empirical data on the lasting impact of early expulsion events continues to emerge, there has been little research focused explicitly on how expulsion impacts caregivers (inclusive of any adult that sees themselves in a primary caretaker role for a young child that had experienced expulsion, such as mothers, fathers, grandparents, and foster parents). The purpose of this research study was to examine the experiences of caregivers of young children who experienced expulsion from an early childhood setting. We used a semi-structured interview to capture caregivers’ experiences pre and post expulsion (N = 26). We used a multi-step, collaborative analysis process to analyze the interview data using thematic and constant comparative methods. Initially, most caregivers reported a positive association with their children’s early education setting. However, despite a positive start, relationships with staff deteriorated, and eventually their children were expelled. In most incidents, caregivers described feeling caught off guard by these expulsions, with lasting negative impact for their family. Implications for research and policy are discussed.