{"id":6468,"date":"2026-09-08T13:17:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T13:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=6468"},"modified":"2026-09-08T13:17:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T13:17:26","slug":"beyond-academics-why-school-attendance-counts-multicare-vitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=6468","title":{"rendered":"Beyond academics: Why school attendance counts &#8211; MultiCare Vitals"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Roughly 27 percent of Washington students were chronically absent in the 2024-25 school year<\/li>\n<li>Regular attendance is key to a <a href=\"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=6447\" title=\"Child mortality (under 5 years)\">child<\/a>\u2019s development academically, emotionally, socially and behaviorally<\/li>\n<li>Communities In Schools of Washington supports student attendance through relationship building<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Brushing your teeth. Scheduling your annual checkup. Working. There are many things adults know they shouldn\u2019t skip<\/p>\n<p>But what about when it comes to children? Experts say that school should be at the top of that don\u2019t-miss list \u2014 and the reasons extend far beyond academics<\/p>\n<p>Regular school attendance helps children build healthy routines, confidence and social skills; form relationships with trusted adults; gain access to red regular meals; and learn skills and resilience for a strong future<\/p>\n<h2>Why are we talking about absenteeism?<\/h2>\n<p>Roughly 27 percent of students in Washington state were chronically absent (missed more than 10 percent of school days) during the 2024-25 school year, according to MultiCare\u2019s partners at Communities In Schools of Washington (CISWA)<\/p>\n<p>Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation\u2019s largest dropout-prevention organization. As the state office, CISWA supports affiliates across Washington as they provide in-school support. They do this through site coordinators who provide access to basic needs, individual and group programming, mentoring, school supplies, other basic re<\/p>\n<p>It can be easy to assume a chronically absent student just doesn\u2019t want to go to school \u2014 that they\u2019re lazy or not good at school, explains Gwynth Nelson, CISWA state executive director<\/p>\n<p>But often, school absences are out of the student\u2019s control, she says. Many rural communities deal with transportation challenges, such as ferries breaking down or snow on mountainous bus routes, while other districts face safety risks along bus routes<\/p>\n<p>Some families may not prioritize school or may have schedule conflicts that make it difficult to get a child to and from school, adds Nikki Ziegler, CISWA program and impact director<\/p>\n<p>And some kids may be choosing to stay home because of bullying they experience in school, social or academic anxiety, or unrecognized and untreated depression<\/p>\n<p>CIS site coordinators work each day to break down some of those barriers and ensure students can get to \u2014 and stay in \u2014 school. How that looks for each school and student is different: They might organize safe transportation alternatives for safe travel, provide on-site hygiene care for students whose families don\u2019t have shower access, or simply be there for a student to talk to when things get hard.<\/p>\n<h2>Why is regular school attendance so important?<\/h2>\n<p>School is the main setting in a child\u2019s life where they can develop academically, emotionally, socially and behaviorally, explains Heather Thelaner, MS, LMFT, integrated <a href=\"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=6464\" title=\"Mental health groups have \u2018failed to acknowledge\u2019 risk of violence, says Mind chief\">mental health<\/a> provider at Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Adolescent Care clinic<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSchool supports healthy development across all stages of childhood and adolescence,\u201d she says. \u201cIn early childhood, students build foundational social-emotional skills, routines and learning habits. In middle school, it helps strengthen identity, self-esteem, social skills and resilience. And in high school, students develop decision-making, self-advocacy, future planning and healthy peer relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chronic absenteeism is identified as an important child health outcome because of the long-term impact it can have on development, achievement and well-being, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/p>\n<p>Setting children up for strong and healthy futures starts by establishing stability and routine as early as preschool<\/p>\n<p>Continuity is so important for children as they grow up, says Ziegler, program and impact director. Following a schedule ensures children develop healthy habits, like getting adequate sleep so they can focus in class, and it also eases anxiety and fear over what to expect each day<\/p>\n<p>Building that confidence and sense of ease in where they should be, what they should do and what to expect from those around them allows kids to focus on the other aspects of school, like lessons and relationships. As that emotional regulation builds, it also teaches coping skills for when challenges do happen<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of what we\u2019re doing is working to build health habits, resiliency and agency,\u201d Ziegler says. \u201cAs students learn to navigate the barriers to attending school and then so on, it sets them up for a lifetime of setting goals, working through hard things and how to overcome barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>School also serves as a support network for food access and everyday reta, roughly half of all students qualified for meal assistance at school in 2024<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they\u2019re absent, they\u2019re missing meals that may not be available at home,\u201d says executive director Nelson<\/p>\n<p>Many schools also provide weekend meal kits for students to bring home<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cA lot of what we\u2019re doing is working to build health habits, resiliency and agency. As students learn to navigate the barriers to attending school and then so on, it sets them up for a lifetime of setting goals, working through hard things and how to overcome barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>CIS site coordinators often provide snacks, as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products, to children whose families may struggle to afford them, she adds. For many students and families, school is their first point of connection to re<\/p>\n<p>Those may seem minor, but for children and teens, not being able to brush their teeth or hair could be the difference between staying home and going to school<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a student in a rural community who the site coordinator noticed was missing a lot of days. They went out to their home and talked to them, where they found out that their well had gone dry,\u201d Ziegler shares. \u201cThey were embarrassed about the hygiene factor and staying home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After discovering they weren\u2019t the only family dealing with this, the CIS site coordinator transformed a staff bathroom into a hygiene locker with personal cubbies, showers and clothes, she says. The site coordinator also washed clothes for them regularly<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not an immediate thing you think about when you think about absenteeism,\u201d Ziegler says. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t pay to fix a well, but we found a creative solution for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whether that relationship is with their teacher, a coach, the school counselor or a CIS site coordinator, ensuring that each child knows there\u2019s someone at school they can come to if they\u2019re struggling or just connect with is key to making school a place they want to be<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not concerned about students being in school so they can be compliant,\u201d Ziegler says. \u201cWe care about you being here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adults who are willing to put the time in to get to know a student, their goals and values are going to get much further in helping them reach those milestones and in developing open and honest relationships, she adds<\/p>\n<p>Interested in CISWA support or re<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ciswa.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Learn More About CISWA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>School is also one of the only spaces outside a child\u2019s home where adults see them often enough to notice when something may be affecting their emotional well-being, adds Thelaner<\/p>\n<p>Mental health and school attendance can be a challenging case of \u201cwhich came first?\u201d A student experiencing bullying, social isolation or academic stress may start skipping school to avoid the emotional burden, while a student living with depression, family challenges or trauma outside school may also stay home<\/p>\n<p>But school staff have the power to notice those warning signs and act sooner, Thelaner adds<\/p>\n<p>As missed days add up, it can lead to irregular connection with support systems, increased overwhelm as missed schoolwork builds up, and disconnect from social circles, Nelson says<\/p>\n<p>On the flip side, consistent and healthy interactions with trusted adults and peers, participation in extracurricular activities and sports, and engaging in studies can help solidify well-rounded emotional well-being<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Read the story of one Spokane Communities In Schools student<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your child is ready for the new school year. Explore our back-to-school guide<\/li>\n<li>Teen girls\u2019 mental health is at risk \u2014 learn what can <a href=\"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/?p=6444\" title=\"How parents can stop wrecking kids\u2019 sports | CNN\">parents<\/a> do<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Behavioral Health<br \/>\nCommunity Support &amp; Partnerships<br \/>\nKids&#8217; Health<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brushing your teeth. Scheduling your annual checkup. Working. There are many things adults know they shouldn\u2019t skip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1513,1514,366,1515,318],"class_list":["post-6468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-parenting","tag-academics","tag-attendance","tag-beyond","tag-counts","tag-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6469,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6468\/revisions\/6469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}