MCDOWELL COUNTY HEAD START & EARLY HEAD START
Attendance
Children are expected to attend Head Start and Early Head Start regularly. We strive for 85% attendance for all classrooms. In a month with 20 school days, a child would need to attend 17 days to achieve 85% attendance.
Class begins at 8:00 a.m. and having children arrive on time each day helps establish a solid routine which will make the transition to school easier.
Head Start requires that all absences are well documented and analyzed for patterns. Family support measures will be initiated when a child is chronically absent. The program's ultimate goal is to support families and help remove any barriers to attendance.
Our programs reflect a commitment to School Readiness in all aspects. Attendance is one of the key elements to a child's success throughout their education. When a child is absent, they miss the benefit of the educational and social time in class, as well interaction with staff and peers.
To help you understand the importance of building good attendance habits early, the McDowell County Schools Attendance Policy is linked here. Once your child enters public school, they will be required to attend regularly and MCS attendance policies will be enforced if there are chronic unexcused absences.
Take a moment to watch the video below from Attendance Works about why regular school attendance is so important!
