PHOENIX (Sept. 18, 2024)—Valley of the Sun United Way and more than 25 community partners have come together to promote September as Attendance Awareness Month in Maricopa County. In an effort to communicate the importance of students attending school and participating regularly, a customizable collection of resources was created for schools, school districts, nonprofits and other community-based organizations to use and share with students and parents.

Chronic absenteeism—when students miss 10 percent or more of the school year—has steadily increased since the pandemic. Current data from the Arizona Department of Education shows it reached an alarming rate of 28% among the general student population and 35% of economically disadvantaged students. While chronic absenteeism has decreased statewide in 2023, it remains twice as high as pre-pandemic rates. Students who are chronically absent face academic challenges, higher rates of stress and fewer social emotional coping skills than their peers who attend school regularly.

“Valley of the Sun United Way, along with our many partners, want to ensure students are in the classroom ready to learn,” said Dawn Gerundo, community development and engagement director at Valley of the Sun United Way. “Research indicates that a reduction in chronic absenteeism rates correlates with enhanced academic achievement."

Online resources created to bolster the program include fact sheets, key statistics and data, flyers and social media graphics for distribution in both English and Spanish and suggested messaging for communication to parents, community members and students.

Valley mayors and the cities of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Phoenix and Tolleson are also supporting the month-long Attendance Awareness initiative, furthering their commitments to making regular school attendance a priority. A customizable version of an Attendance Awareness Month proclamation is also included in the online toolkit for companies and organizations looking to express their support.

“We are grateful to our partners and local leaders for supporting the efforts to address the chronic absenteeism crisis we are facing in Maricopa County,” added Gerundo.

Led by Valley of the Sun United Way, the online toolkit was developed in partnership with a variety of community organizations, including:

· Attendance Works

· Alhambra Elementary School District

· ALL In Education

· Arizona Head Start Association

· Arizona PBS

· Arizona State University

· Avondale Elementary School District

· City of Phoenix

· Denova Collaborative Health

· Education Forward Arizona

· First Things First

· FrameShift Group

· Future for KIDS

· Helios Education Foundation

· Isaac School District

· Littleton Elementary School District

· Million Dollar Teacher Project

· Mountain Park Health Center

· New Pathways for Youth

· Phoenix Suns

· Read On Communities

· School Connect

· TNTP

· Union Elementary School District

· Valley Leadership

· Washington Elementary School District

· Wesley Community & Health Centers

For more information about the importance of regular attendance or to download the free resources to bring attention to Attendance Awareness Month and year-round chronic absenteeism awareness, visit www.vsuw.org/attendance.

About Valley of the Sun United Way:

Valley of the Sun United Way envisions a community where every child, family and individual is healthy, has a safe place to live and has every opportunity to succeed in school, in work and in life. As we work with our community, corporate and nonprofit partners to implement our MC2026 plan for Mighty Change, we are putting all our efforts toward reaching Bold Goals for Maricopa County in the areas of education, housing and homelessness, health and workforce development. Join us at www.vsuw.org.