Trying Together and Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) Region 5’s Rapid Response Team provides hands-on coaching for educators and resources for families and caregivers to prevent the expulsion or suspension of children in early childhood education.

The team utilizes principles of early relational health and social-emotional development of young children as well as building the capacities of adults to utilize positive approaches to address behavioral challenges and family engagement and relationships.

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The Rapid Response Team is a short-term service to support early childhood education programs, serving children from birth to age 5 as well as their teachers and families or caregivers. 

The Rapid Response Team provides hand-on support through use of the pyramid model that is broken down into three tiers. Tier one is based on the use of an effective workforce practice including classroom environment and social emotional learning. 

The other two tiers involve more comprehensive support, especially for children who have needs beyond what is provided by the first tier – such as specific therapies or referrals to outside agencies for evaluation. While a child’s behavior may be challenging to adults, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they have a developmental or intellectual disability or that a mental health diagnosis is necessary. 

The team participates in classroom observation to help an educator implement tier-one supports before looking into more intensive ones. It also coaches teachers, supports families with resources, and collaborates as a team with child care centers or any outside resource such as outpatient therapy or functional behavior assessments. 

The Rapid Response Team, which contracts with board-certified behavior analysts, currently has one position open and recently added Kelly Palko as its intervention coordinator.

Deysi Keegan, the team’s assistant director, said the initiative helps both students and adults.

“I think it helps the children stay in their centers,” she said. “That helps them be able to thrive and continue to learn. Obviously, in turn, that helps their families. It’s about being able to help families and centers to get the support they need for children. It also provides teachers with new skill sets, helping them to work on relationships between children and their families and providing confidence to follow through on strategies they’re coached on.”

How the Team Works

The team contacts the provider or family within 48 hours once a referral is made. If the child is in immediate danger of suspension or expulsion, the team will take part in a meeting or virtual observation, depending on scheduling availability. If a child has already been suspended, the team will not go into the child’s classroom, but will provide the child’s family and childcare with resources.

Reports can be made by a child’s family members or child care providers through an intake form. Individual child referrals not made by a parent or legal guardian must use a Rapid Response Release, which can be sent to rapidresponse@tryingtogether.org. 

To obtain the team’s services, parents must have children between the ages of birth and 5 years. The team occasionally receives requests for school-age children and, in those cases, provides some resources.

Keegan said students are often expelled or suspended unnecessarily and it is part of the Rapid Response Team’s job to work with teachers, directors, and families to avoid it from happening.

“There are occasions – and it’s the whole point of us stepping in – when students can be singled out due to a disability, race, or family culture or dynamics, and in that case it’s up to us to disrupt that by helping the child care program think outside of the box,” she said.

Helping Children Flourish

Keegan said the team has seen its share of success working with families and educators. She cited a recent example of a child who was expelled, but whom the team helped to get early intervention services. The child has now been placed in another child care program and, according to Keegan, is “thriving.” 

“We helped his teacher to understand some of his big emotions,” she said. “I’m so excited for him – he’s doing great.”

Keegan said the Rapid Response Team provides coaching for educators in the least restrictive environment and resources for families to ensure that children are in an environment in which they can flourish.

“I think it’s important for us as the Rapid Response Team to build relationships with early childhood educators and our community,” she said. “I think it’s important to connect families to the appropriate resources, so children feel safe and secure in their environment and that teachers have the tools they need to meet diverse needs.”