1. Attendance
Why Does It Matter?

2. What We Will Learn Why does attendance matter
When are absences a problem
What you can do about your child’s attendance

3. Why Does Attendance Matter?
Attending school is essential for children to learn the academic and social skills they need to succeed.

4. When are Absences a Problem?
Chronic Absence is defined at 18 days a year or just 2 days a month.
Warning Signs are defined as missing days a year.
Satisfactory attendance is 9 or fewer absences in a school year.

5. Why Does Attendance Matter?
Missing 10 percent of preschool (about 18 days in the school year) can:
Make it harder to develop early reading skills
Make it harder to get ready for kindergarten and first grade
Develop a poor attendance pattern that is hard to break

6. Why Does Attendance Matter?
Missing 10% of the school year can leave
3rd graders unable to read proficiently,
6th graders struggling with their coursework and
high school students off track for graduation.

7. Being late to school can lead to poor attendance.
Why Does Attendance Matter?
Being late to school can lead to poor attendance.
Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

8. Activity:
Divide into groups of 2 or 3 and discuss these questions for a few minutes:
What are some of the obstacles parents face in getting their children to attend school every day?
What are some ways that parents can overcome these obstacles? How can you help other parents overcome these obstacles?

9. Report out and Sharing:
Activity:
Report out and Sharing:
What are some of the obstacles that your group identified that parents face in getting their children to attend school every day?
What are some things that you identified that parents can do to overcome these obstacles?
And, did you identify anything you can do to help other parents overcome these obstacles?

10. What You Can Do Have a regular bed time routine
Set out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
Have a regular morning routine
Schedule appointments (doctors, dentists, etc.) for after school hours as much as possible

11. What You Can Do Plan vacations for school holidays and summer time
Have a back up plan to get your child to school when something comes up
Can a neighbor or family member take them to school?

12. What You Can Do
Don’t let your child stay home unless he or she is truly sick.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to his or her teachers, school counselors and others about how to make him/her feel more comfortable and excited about learning.

13. Video: Bringing Attendance Home https://vimeo.com/240840053

14. The routines your child develops in preschool, kindergarten and the early grades will continue throughout school. Make the most of these early years by encouraging your child to attend every day!

15. Credits

16. Thank you for learning with us! For more information, contact: