Jayne Gibson

Executive Director Austin Aspires

The 2018-2019 school year is here! Transitioning from summer to fall can be challenging for students and families, and it is important to plan for a successful transition in advance.

School attendance is essential to success. Research conducted over several years has concluded students who miss up to two days a month, for any reason, are more likely to fall behind in school, struggle more than peers when learning to read, and may be less likely to graduate on time. The eye-opening part of this research is that it didn’t matter if the absences were excused or unexcused, the potential negative impact to learning existed.

It is important to establish healthy habits right away, regardless if your child is beginning preschool, elementary school, middle school or high school. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school, and about themselves. Reliable attendance practices become the foundation of success at all levels of education, as well as in employment as an adult.

Attendance Works, a national foundation devoted to researching and addressing attendance practices, has offered suggestions to students and families when it comes to planning for school:

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.

Lay out clothes and pack back packs the night before.

Don’t let your child stay home unless s/he is truly sick.

Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

Each child is unique, and there may be times that going to school is not possible. As the caring parent or guardian, you make decisions each and every day in the best interest of your child. If your child seems anxious about going to school, be sure to reach out to your child’s teacher, principal, counselor or other staff member as soon as possible. Together plans can be crafted to ensure your child feels valued at school while learning each and every day. Are you interested in learning more? Many free resources and tips can be found at www.attendanceworks.org.

Please contact Jayne Gibson, director@austinaspires.org, 507-437-0920 to learn more or become involved!