HB2663 Summary

• Prohibits expulsion of children in State-funded or State-licensed early childhood programs serving children birth to age 5, except for planned transitions to more appropriate settings with documented intervention and parental consent.

• Requires early childhood programs to document persistent and serious challenging behaviors, implement intervention strategies, engage parents in planning, and utilize available community resources including developmental screenings and early childhood mental health consultants before any transition occurs.

• Mandates annual data reporting by early childhood programs on planned transitions due to behavior, temporary removals for safety threats, and hours of mental health consultant contact, disaggregated by race, gender, disability, language, and program characteristics.

• Directs the State Board of Education, Department of Human Services, and Department of Children and Family Services to provide training and technical support to early childhood professionals on social-emotional development, trauma-informed care, cultural competence, and implicit bias.

• Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to adopt rules prohibiting expulsion for behavioral reasons in licensed day care centers, day care homes, and group day care homes, with requirements for intervention policies, parent notification, documentation, and data collection.