Reducing Preschool Exclusionary Discipline Practices Through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Findings from the Jump Start Program

Overview

This retrospective study examined the efficacy of Jump Start, a multi-tiered infant and early childhood mental health consultation program, in reducing exclusionary discipline practices in early care and education centers. The analysis encompassed 270 centers in Miami-Dade County that participated in the program during academic years 2022-2025. The study addresses the documented prevalence of approximately 250 daily preschool suspensions and expulsions nationally by evaluating whether structured mental health consultation strengthens centers' capacity to support social-emotional development and prevent exclusionary practices.

Methods and approach

The study employed a retrospective design utilizing data from 270 early care and education centers that received Jump Start services across three consecutive academic years. Analyses examined associations between baseline exclusionary discipline practices, program duration, changes in center discipline and expulsion policies, and post-intervention exclusionary discipline practices. The investigation differentiated between traditional suspensions/expulsions and soft expulsions, with particular attention to moderation effects of policy-level changes on program outcomes. The analytical framework assessed both direct effects of program participation and conditional effects based on discipline policy modifications.

Key Findings

Statistically significant reductions in both traditional suspensions/expulsions and soft expulsions were observed following Jump Start participation. A significant moderation effect was identified whereby the relationship between program duration and post-intervention soft expulsions was contingent upon substantive improvements in center discipline policies. Specifically, Jump Start demonstrated effectiveness in reducing soft expulsions only among centers that implemented meaningful changes to their discipline and expulsion policies. This conditional effect underscores the importance of policy-level implementation alongside consultation services.

Implications

The findings provide evidence that structured infant and early childhood mental health consultation models can contribute to meaningful reductions in exclusionary discipline practices within early care and education settings. The documented effectiveness in reducing both traditional and soft expulsions suggests that strengthening centers' capacity for supporting social-emotional development addresses a persistent systemic issue in early childhood education. These results have implications for policy development and resource allocation directed toward reducing inequitable discipline practices in preschool settings.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.