Attendance Matters

Find ways to avoid top reasons children are absent from school

He woke up late and can’t get going. Your sitter is sick and you have nowhere to leave your younger kids.

Things like this happen all the time. Parents wonder if going to school is all that important.

Yes. In fact, kids who miss a lot of school—even in the early grades—are more likely to drop out. They have more problems learning material that will help them succeed.

One school district asked families why their kids missed school. Here are their top answers and some ways you can deal with those problems:

• He feels sick. If your child doesn’t have a fever and he isn’t obviously sick (vomiting, coughing, diarrhea), he can probably go to school.
• He just won’t get up. Make bedtime earlier. Help him get ready for school the night before.
• You need him at home to help with younger kids. If you work and need child care, be sure to have a Plan B if your sitter gets sick. It’s not fair to ask a child to miss school to care for younger kids.
• He’s worried. Talk with your child. Is it a test that worries him? Help him review. If it’s something more serious, talk with the teacher.

Reprinted with permission from the October 2007 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Joyce L. Epstein and Steven B. Sheldon, “Present and Accounted For: Improving Student Attendance Through Family and Community Involvement,” Journal of Education Research, May/June 2002 (Heldref Publications, 1-800-365-9753, www.heldref.org/jer.php).