Attendance Matters

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• Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall quickly behind in reading and math.
• Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
• Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are far less likely to read proficiently at the end of 3rd grade.
• Students can still fall behind if they miss even just one or two days every few weeks.
• Poor attendance in elementary school leads to poor attendance in middle school and high school.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• Attendance in 6-8th grade can impact a student's likelihood of being accepted into vocational high school and other programs.
• Chronic absenteeism can lead to poor grades, and in high school poor student grades can contribute to ineligibility to attend and participate in sports and other extracurricular activities.

Credit to: Attendance Works

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day with your children.
• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before school.
• Keep your child healthy by ensuring they get enough sleep, limit technology and gaming in the evening before bed, practice good hygiene, and make sure your child has the required vaccines.
• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent for support getting your child to school.
• Try to schedule non-urgent related dental and medical appointments, vacations, 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.

Credit to: Attendance Works

🆘 Chronic Absence = 18 or more days (excused AND unexcused) in a school year 🆘

⚠️ Warning = 8-17 days (excused AND unexcused) in a school year ⚠️

✅ Satisfactory = 7 or less days (excused AND unexcused) in a school year ✅

Please see the link below for a letter from the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on the importance of regular attendance.