Early and Often: Showing up in Preschool Matters 2.0
Educators, policymakers, researchers and families agree: a high-quality preschool program can build early literacy and math skills, as well as develop the social and emotional foundation children need to persist in school. But young children—whether in Head Start, public pre-kindergarten or in a private program—only receive the full effect of these benefits if they show up for class regularly.
How do you go about improving attendance in the preschool years? It starts with sharing that developing a habit of attendance is a key component of school readiness. It involves learning about how many absences are too many, encouraging families to bring their children to school every day even when it is hard, and engaging students once they are in the classroom. It can also include helping families get assistance to solve a significant barrier to getting their young children to school.
Students with good and improving attendance is a cause for celebration. So read on to find ways to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative!”
Our strategies recognize that getting children to school every day on time is contingent on engaging families and helping them understand the importance of regular attendance and how missing too many days impacts their child’s success.
We’ve found that a three-tiered system of intervention can make addressing chronic absence more manageable, and nurtures a culture of attendance.
Throughout this toolkit you’ll find strategies and resources to help you address each tier—from prevention and awareness to early intervention activities—that help educators address challenges faced by families with students missing 10 percent or more of the school year.
Early and Often provides free, ready to use strategies, materials and research for staff, and engaging age-appropriate activities for young children and their families to promote routines and habits toward consistent on-time attendance.
Download an Executive Summary of the Early and Often Toolkit
Production of Early and Often was made possible by the generous support of The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation