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

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: National data show that about 250 preschoolers are suspended or expelled daily in the United States. Jump Start is a multi-tiered infant and early childhood mental health consultation program that strengthens early care and education centers' capacity to support children's social-emotional development and prevent school suspension and expulsion. This retrospective study examined center-level exclusionary discipline practices, Jump Start participation, and related changes in discipline and expulsion policies. METHODS: Data from 270 early care and education centers across Miami-Dade County that received Jump Start services during one of three academic years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, or 2024-2025) were included. Analyses examined associations between baseline exclusionary discipline practices, program duration, discipline and expulsion policy changes, and post-Jump Start exclusionary discipline practices. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions were observed in the frequency of traditional suspensions/expulsions and soft expulsions following Jump Start participation. The association between the Jump Start duration and post-Jump Start soft expulsions was significantly moderated by changes in center discipline policies, such that Jump Start was effective at reducing soft expulsions only when discipline policies showed meaningful improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Infant and early childhood consultation models, such as Jump Start, show promise in reducing exclusionary discipline practices, especially when implementation improves discipline policies.