Punishment in Early Childhood: Exclusionary Discipline Practices Threaten Young Children's Moral Rights

• In Event: Pursuing Justice, Seeking Equity

Abstract

The practice of removing young children from their classrooms and forcing them into isolated “quiet rooms” in an effort to curb unwanted behaviors was recently exposed and critiqued by the Chicago Tribune. Though in particular instances (e.g., the repeated isolation of Isaiah Knipe) “quiet rooms” arguably rank among the most morally egregious exclusion punishments occurring in U.S. early childhood education settings, they represent only one of several behavior management techniques that isolate children from their schools, classrooms, learning experiences, and/or community members. This paper offers a moral argument for avoiding punishments that isolate young children from their school community. Specifically, the common exclusionary practices of expulsion, suspension, and time-out are considered in conjunction with children’s human rights.

Author

• Joy Dangora Erickson, Endicott College