Bridge Boston's Attendance Approach

Getting kids out the door for school is no small feat. This is especially true when they’re tired… or grumpy… or it still feels like summer outside.

We’re amazed by the strength and persistence of our families that make this happen 5 days a week, every week, all year long. That’s why, for the month of September, Bridge Boston is partnering with our families to celebrate Attendance Matters Month.

For the entirety of September, our Attendance Advisors are calling, sending letters home, and meeting with families to ensure their students are able to stay at school all day, every day. Last year, Attendance Matters Month was celebrated in October and January. This year, we moved the celebration to ensure our students and families are developing habits at the beginning of the school year that will last through June.

The idea for Attendance Matters Month was inspired by the state-wide problem of chronic absenteeism. According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “chronic absenteeism” is defined as missing 10% or more school days, totalling about 18 days by the end of the school year. Our Attendance Advisors and Attendance Matters Month celebration is Bridge’s in-house protocol to the issue that’s facing schools state-wide.

Our Approach

Attendance advisors approach families with grace and curiosity. The first step when we notice a pattern of absences, tardies, or early dismissals is a simple call home. This is just a check-in – we make sure things are alright and initiate relationship building. A touch-point phone call is all some families need to recognize the importance of being at school, but there are still further steps to escalate if families require more interventions. Families may work together with our Attendance Advisors on an Attendance Intervention Plan, which includes coming together to address barriers that may prevent kids from getting to school. This often includes looking at bus schedules or resetting expectations about when school starts. At BBCS, we show families that when times are tough and getting to school feels impossible, we are supportive.

Working With Families + Students

We know many of our students, especially in younger grades, rely on their families for transportation and therefore their attendance isn’t always in their control. We still work with students to build the life-long skill of punctuality, including pre-setting uniforms + backpacks the night before to save time in the morning or developing healthy sleep habits that make it easier to get out of bed in the morning. Our Assistant Principal, Ms. Tamila, will also utilize our monthly Parent Academy session for “Home Habits for Successful Students” to ensure families are developing good habits around attendance.

This year, for achieving strong attendance, classrooms can win ice cream and parents can win gift cards. To achieve these incentives, students have to stay all day, meaning no tardies and no early pick-ups. 

So far, our efforts have proven successful already: As of Tuesday, 9/15, our percentage of tardies for grades 1st to 8th grade is already down by 6.4%. We’re on track to have significantly less tardies in the month of September compared to September last year.

Coming to school every day can be a challenge for many students and families. We’re here to help them navigate the challenges and celebrate their accomplishments.

Attendance Matters Month is all about working together, building strong relationships, and developing routines that ensure our students are at school all day, every day.