Included vs. Excluded

In her Exchange article (May/June 2012), "Belonging," Ruth Wilson talks about the alarming number of preschoolers being expelled from early learning programs:

"While there are certainly many reasons why young children are having such severe behavioral issues as to warrant expulsion from school, one explanation is that their belonging needs are not being met.  This tends to happen when the structure of a program suggests that, in order to belong, a child must conform to a pre-determined set of rules and expectations.  These rules and expectations, in some cases, are not appropriate for young children — as in the recent trend to have preschoolers meet academic standards, which are more suitable for older children.  In other cases, pre-determined rules and expectations may not reflect understanding and respect for an individual child’s culture and background experiences.  This mismatch can also tell the child that he or she doesn’t belong....

"So what are we to do to help all children feel that they belong in our early learning centers?  The first thing to keep in mind is that we need to engage the help of children.  We need peers telling each other (through words and actions), 'You belong; you’re a part of the group.'  We need children with the dispositions and skills to act against prejudice and/or discrimination, to recognize unfairness, to appreciate human diversity, and to understand and respect that all children have rights.  One of these rights is the right to belong."

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