Mayor Ann Campbell honored the collective efforts of many partners from various sectors on September 12, 2017 by declaring September “Attendance Awareness Month,” supporting the importance of school attendance related to academic achievement. Story County Reads, on behalf of the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, mobilizes civic, business and community leaders to work with schools, libraries and other organizations with the common goal of ensuring youth can read at grade level by the end of third grade.
The proclamation recognizes that students who missed 10% of their kindergarten and first grade years scored, on average, 60 points below their peers who had good attendance on third grade reading assessments. Research has also shown that chronic absenteeism in school at an early age can have a long term negative impact on the likelihood a child will graduate from high school. Additionally, the proclamation recognizes that reducing chronic absenteeism involves the community at large including parents, government agencies, faith leaders, businesses, community non-profits and leaders as well as the education sector.
“We know if we do nothing, there will be long-term consequences for our children, community, and nation as a whole,” said Jean Kresse, president and CEO of United Way of Story County (UWSC). “If left unchecked, this problem will undermine all of our efforts to end intergenerational poverty, close the achievement gap, and reduce high school dropout rates.”
UWSC is the lead facilitator of Story County Reads and the Grade Level Reading Campaign within Ames. Story County Reads is an initiative engaging multiple partners with the mission of ensuring all youth in Story County can read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. Specific target areas of focus include school readiness, school attendance, out of school learning, and community and parent engagement.
[Photo attached: Mayor Ann Campbell delivers the proclamation declaring September as Attendance Awareness Month to representatives from UWSC and the Ames Community School District.]
UWSC is a strategic leader in building countywide partnerships to identify needs and to develop, support and evaluate effective human services, especially in the areas of education, income and health, for our diverse community.