You know that being in school is important. But this would be such a great time to take a family trip. And, after all, your child is only in first grade.
“Your child will not be the only one who pays a price. The entire class will be affected.”
Surely a few days’ absence won’t matter, will it? It will. In fact, research shows that young children don’t have to miss much school before their learning suffers. In the early grades, kids are mastering reading and basic math skills. And research has shown that these are the skills most affected when children miss school.
Being in school consistently is the only way kids can develop a strong foundation on which to build the rest of their learning. Your child will not be the only one who pays a price. The entire class will be affected. When the teacher has to stop to meet the needs of a child who was out of school, everyone else’s learning comes to a halt.
Source: H. Chang and M. Romero, Present, Engaged, and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades, National Center for Children in Poverty.