• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause a child to fall behind
• Missing 10% (or 18 days) can make it harder for a child to learn to read
• Students can fall behind even if they miss one or two days every few weeks
• As a parent, you are responsible for making sure your child develops good attendance habits

What parents can do:

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
• Don’t let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Sometimes a complaint of a stomach ache or headache might be anxiety. Speak with a school social worker or school counselor.

 A word about tardies......

• Chronic tardiness in elementary school is often linked to failure in high school
• The parent of a chronically tardy child does not have to enter a classroom and try to play ‘catch-up’; that task is left to the parent’s tardy child
• And as much as the chronically tardy child tries to be ‘invisible’ upon entering the classroom, everyone notices