We’ve learned that creating incentives can encourage students to engage their parents in improving their attendance. Here’s a perfect example of how attendance incentives can motivate students to improve their attendance:
“I had met with Julia last school year doing art. Julia is a deeply caring person and carries a lot in her heart and head. She also misses a lot of school. Last school year, her attendance was 66%.
When Julia arrived late one morning, I walked with her to her classroom and she asked, ‘When am I going to do art with you again?’ I answered, ‘I know, that was so fun! Let me check in with your teacher and see what we can do.’
Julia’s teacher and I created an attendance incentive that for every 14 consecutive days attended, she would earn a 30-minute art session. When we told Julia, her eyes lit up and she said, ‘Oh, I’m going to tell my mom!’
Julia and I pulled the calendar off the wall and counted out the days until we could have our art session based on a successful 14-day stretch of attendance. A couple of days later, she walked by my office on her walk to music class, she made sure I saw that she was at school. I could tell art was a huge incentive for her to improve her attendance, and I’m eager to see her achieve her goal.”
– Mary, Woodland Site Coordinator