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Help Your Child Succeed in School
Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early – School success goes hand-in-hand with good attendance!
When do Absences Become a Problem
- Chronic Absence: 19 or more days
- Warning Signs: 10 to 17 Days
- Satisfactory: 9 or Fewer Absences
Did You Know?
- Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
- Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
- Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
- Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
- Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school and beyond.
What Can You Do?
- Set a regular bed time and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required immunization.
- Practice walking to and visiting the school to develop familiarity with the setting.
- Keep your child home if they’re truly sick.
- Children who may be responding to feelings of stress or anxiety may complain of stomach aches or headaches. Encourage your child to talk about how they are feeling, and monitor their feelings in times of increased stress.
- If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to school staff or other parents for advice on how to make them feel comfortable and excited about learning.
Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbour, or another parent.
Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.