Private daycare and preschool programs in Oregon that receive public funds would no longer be allowed to suspend or expel students starting in 2026, under a proposal headed for a vote in the state Senate….
Childcare providers themselves are, of course, absolutely opposed to this.
“The first years of a child’s life are critical with 90% of a child’s brain growth occurring by the age of 5. Environment and relationships are essential and certainly have lasting impacts,” Brown said at a February 23 committee hearing on House Bill 2166. “Expulsion is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when many people think of an early learning or childcare program, and yet far too often, children as young as 2 years old are removed temporarily or even permanently from early care and education programs with racial bias as a cause.
I doubt this very much. Care providers get paid primarily on the number of kids they’re caring for. They have no incentive whatsoever to expel or suspend a kid from childcare. They idea that they’d do this because of racial bias and not because of behavior is difficult to believe. Surely a racist child care provider would discriminate upfront.
Further, I suspect this bill will disproportionately impact the impoverished because they’re the ones most likely to need the state to pay for childcare. Private childcare facilities, funded by the rich, will continue to suspend and expel for bad behavior as necessary.
Finally, if my kid is acting awful, I want him expelled or suspended. And you should want the same of yours. And what’s more who wants somebody else’s hellion terrorizing the kids who behave well? This idea that bad behavior should have no consequence is antithetical to a civilized society. We’re doing kids no favors if we’re teaching the opposite from early on.