Regular attendance at school is a prerequisite for academic success and graduation. Research shows that participating in high quality Out of School Time programs helps increase engagement in learning and improves school day attendance. The Maryland Out of School Time Network wants to strengthen that connection by helping OST providers think more intentionally about their own attendance practices and partnering closely with schools to help identify and better serve youth with attendance challenges.
Maryland along with Pennsylvania and Utah have spent the past year in the "Chronic Absence Technical Assistance Project" (supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation) with Attendance Works. In the process we've conducted a survey on practice in the field and developed targeted tools and strategies.
Survey Highlights: (118 Respondents - Site Directors of Out of School Time Programs from Across Maryland)
- 83% feel it is Extremely Important that afterschool programs actively encourage school-day attendance
- 95% take attendance every day in their own program
- 32% of respondents have difficulty or cannot get school day attendance data for their participants
- 83% say that school administrators/teachers know which students are enrolled in their programs
- However, only39% share afterschool program attendance data with schools
- 73% of respondents use their program attendance data to reach out to students and families who have attendance challenges (in the afterschool program)
- 70% provide incentives or rewards around program attendance
Links & Resources:
Attendance Works
Maryland Out of School Time Professional Attendance Training (Power Point)
We will continue to add the latest research and tools to this page. Look for more training and professional development opportunities around attendance in the coming months.