PAO-9: Attendance Policy

POLICY

ECEAP encourages regular attendance through monitoring of daily attendance and follow up of extended absences (three or more consecutive sessions) or irregular attendance.

Instructions / Implementation

1. Parents/Guardians shall be informed both verbally and in writing of the Attendance Policy at orientation and occasionally throughout the year.
2. Attendance shall be counted on days the class is in session at the center.
3. Parents/Guardians are expected to call the center staff to inform staff of absences or tardiness as soon as possible. Parents/Guardians are also expected to inform the staff when a child will be returning after an absence.
4. Family Support Specialist acts as an attendance monitor. The FSS should be aware of absences on a daily basis and is responsible for follow up.
5. The weekly attendance must be recorded in Skyward.

Tardiness is defined as arrival 1 hour after the start of the ECEAP program day.

Absences are designated as “excused” or “unexcused.” An “excused absence” confirmed by an ECEAP staff member is defined as an absence for the following reasons:

• A child is absent due to an illness in accordance with the illness policy or other medical reasons such as injury or other health ailment.
• There is a death in the child’s family.
• A child cannot attend class because he or she has to receive medical/dental treatment or therapy at the time class is being held.
• The child’s attendance is affected by temporary family situation, such as parents’ serious medical issues. Absence due to non-emergency situations is limited to a maximum of two consecutive calendar weeks during the school year. Exceptions to this must be arranged in collaboration with the Family Support Coordinator.
• The child’s attendance is affected by temporary facility or program situations.
• The child is absent due to family cultural or religious observation.

An unexcused absence is any absence which does not meet the above criteria.

Irregular attendance patterns or frequent tardiness will result in an intensification of family service support. Every effort will be made by ECEAP staff to help maintain the child’s place in ECEAP. However, enrollment may be discontinued by the parent/guardian voluntarily withdrawing the child from the program. It may also be discontinued if the child is not in regular attendance (as described in letters a.-e. below.). Enrollment may not be discontinued due to behavior concerns (see Child Guidance Policy Performance Standard PAO-27).

When families are scheduled to be out of the area for an extended amount of time due to vacation or similar circumstances, the following steps must be taken:

• Establish a maximum number of days the family can be out of the area before a contractor begins the process of enrolling the next child on the waiting list.
• Ensure staff and families discuss plans before the family leaves.
• Meet family needs as best as possible (d) Align with the requirement to fill vacant slots within 45 days.
• Make efforts to re-engage families if a child stops attending.

The following procedures shall be implemented if a child is absent and the parent/guardian has not contacted the center:

• On the day of absence there will be contact between staff and the family to determine whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
• After the fourth (4th) consecutive unexcused absence, a home visit to discuss the attendance issue will be attempted within 7 calendar days’ time. Every effort shall be made to make in-person contact with the parent/guardian to help maintain the child’s lace in ECEAP.
• If the home visit is not completed and no contact is made, the following steps will occur:

1. Two (2) letters will immediately be mailed—one certified and one through regular U.S. mail to the parent/guardian.
2. Letters will contain information indicating that
   a. The child’s enrollment is in jeopardy and
   b. The parent/guardian needs to contact ECEAP staff by the seventh (7th) calendar day after mailing the letter(s).

If there is no contact from the parent/guardian within 14 calendar days from the date posted on the two letters, then the FSS will mail the final letter informing the family that their child’s enrollment in ECEAP has been discontinued.

If the enrollment is discontinued, the family will need to re-enroll. (See Enrollment Policy.)

If attendance situations exist that are not addressed in this policy, staff will call their family support coordinator for consultation.

Adoption Date:  First Reading 4.23, Adopted 5.23, Revised: