Pay Attention to Attendance

Students gain many positives from being in school – not just academic success but being part of the school community and developing traits like curiosity, creativity and responsibility. In short, being in school can help students feel more empowered and better about themselves. Research shows that students who are chronically absent are at risk for falling behind in reading, failing middle school and dropping out of high school. Families play a key role in making sure students access learning opportunities and understand the importance of attendance to their overall success.

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Help Your Child Succeed in...

Pre-K & Kindergarten

Did You Know...

Showing up on time every day is important to your child’s success and learning from preschool forward.

Missing 10% of school (1 or 2 days every few weeks) can make it harder to:
Gain early reading and math skills.
Build relationships.
Develop good attendance habits.

High quality preschool and kindergarten has many benefits!

The routines your child develops will continue throughout school.
Make the most of early grades by encouraging your child to attend every day.

What You Can Do

Work with your child and his/her teacher to develop your child’s strong attendance.

Talk about it – sing about it – make it an adventure!

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Share ideas with other parents for getting to school on time.

Before the school year starts!

Find out what day school starts and begin a countdown!
Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
Attend orientation with your child to meet teachers and classmates and find out about health and safety procedures.

Ready, Set, GO!

If you are concerned your child may be sick, call your school for advice. Ask for resources to continue learning at home if needed.
Ask family members or neighbors for assistance if you need help.
Try to schedule non-Covid-19 medical appointments and extended trips when school is not in session.
If your child seems anxious about preschool or kindergarten, talk to the program director, teacher, your doctor or other parents for advice.

Elementary

Did You Know...

Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks. • Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.

When Do Absences Become a Problem?

CHRONIC ABSENCE
18 or more days

WARNING SIGNS
10 to 17 days

SATISFACTORY
9 or fewer absences

What You Can Do

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.
Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
Try to schedule non-Covid-19 related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn't in session.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
If you are concerned that your child may have Covid-19, call your school for advice.
If your child must stay home due to illness or quarantine, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.

Middle & High School

Did You Know...

Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.

Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students access learning opportunities and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job. Families can also advocate for resources to help students learn if they cannot attend in-person.

What You Can Do

Make school attendance a priority

Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
Help your teen maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
Try not to schedule dental and non-Covid-19 related medical appointments during the school day.
Keep your student healthy, and if you are concerned about Covid-19, call your school for advice.
If your teens must stay home because they are sick or in quarantine, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom.

Help your teen stay engaged

Find out if your children feel engaged by their classes, and feel safe from bullies and other threats.
Make sure your teens are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact the school and work with them to find a solution.
Monitor you teen’s academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
Encourage your teen to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
Notice and support your students if they are showing signs of anxiety.

Communicate with the school

Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties.
Check on your teen’s attendance to be sure absences are not adding up.
Seek help from school staff, other parents or community agencies if you need support.

The content on this page was provided by Attendance Works!