September is Attendance Awareness Month

Did you know each time a child is absent one day, it can take TWO days to catch up?

Did you know that missing just two days of school per month means a child will miss 10% of instruction for the school year?

Do you know that missing 10% of school means that your child may fall behind?

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success-both in school and in life. When you make school attendance a priority, you help your child get better grades, develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behavior and have a better chance of graduating from high school.

When students are absent for fewer days, their grades and reading skills often improve-even among those students who are struggling in school. Students who attend school regularly also feel more connected to their community, develop important social skills and friendships, and are significantly more likely to graduate from high school, setting them up for a strong future.

But when kids are absent for an average of just two days of school per month-even when the absences are excused- it can have a negative impact. These absences can affect kids as early as Kindergarten.

For example, young elementary school students who miss an average of just two school days per month often have difficulty keeping up with their peers academically and tend to fall behind in reading. But when students are able to read on grade level by the end of third grade, which is when kids transition from learning to read to reading to learn, they are three to four times more likely to graduate high school and attend college, post-graduate, or professional development classes than their peers who struggle with reading.

For more information, visit http://awareness.attendanceworks.org/.