Some students have chronic illnesses and mental health problems that keep them from attending school regularly. Schools and communities can provide support to meet their health needs.
- Addressing Barriers
- American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on chronic absence
- Anxiety: Handout to share with families on this website page.
- Asthma: CDC Guide for Managing Asthma in Schools which includes the American Lung Association’s Open Airways for Schools Program.
- Families Fighting the Flu
- Oral Health: Resources about the importance of oral health for children and their parents or caregivers.
- Promoting Healthy Food Choices
- Videos that explain the importance of attendance, how it is linked to health, and ways to create positive attendance culture in schools.
The Healthy Schools Campaign created a six-part toolkit for educators with tips, case studies and proven school-based interventions to support students with high absenteeism.
Children who live in public housing, move frequently or are homeless often miss too much school. Housing authorities and homeless shelters are taking steps to address absenteeism.
- Why Housing Authorities Should Care about Chronic absence on this website page
Walking School Bus Some students miss school because of neighborhood violence or dangerous intersections in route to the campus. Schools and communities have started creating “Walking School Buses” and other approaches to keep kids safe.
Afterschool Programs: Research shows that good afterschool programs can improve school-day attendance. Ensure that schools with high chronic absence rates have access to quality programs, and work with providers to target at-risk students.
Recess: Physical activity at a well-run recess can make for more engaged students—and better attendance. A school in Boston found that the average number of absences dropped 78 percent after using Playworks.
- Playworks: research on recess and play
Breakfast in the Classroom: Students who eat breakfast at school attend an average 1.5 more days of school every year. When offered in the classroom, breakfast can be an opportunity to bond with the teacher and get kids ready for class.
Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages.