AUTHOR=Purtell Kelly M. , Ansari Arya 

TITLE=Why are children absent from preschool? A nationally representative analysis of Head Start programs

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Education

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2022.1031379

DOI=10.3389/feduc.2022.1031379

ISSN=2504-284X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Children who are absent from school, including preschool, do not make the same academic gains as their non-absent peers. However, we know little about what predicts absenteeism among preschool-attending children.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We used the Family and Child Experiences Study - 2009, a nationally representative sample of Head Start attendees (<italic>n</italic> = 2,842), to test the associations between a comprehensive set of child, family, and center factors, and children’s levels of absenteeism across the preschool year.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Our findings highlight the multi-faceted nature of absenteeism. Family necessity, family routines, and center-level characteristics were all associated with absenteeism.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Reducing preschool absenteeism requires a comprehensive approach as the factors that shape absences are varied. Our findings suggest that center-level strategies focused on outreach and classroom quality are important future directions.</p></sec>