The Be There Community Forum is a space for community members to share their thoughts, ideas, and experiences related to school attendance and its connection to academic achievement. Members who join the group are welcomed to share information about events, post questions that inspire discussion, and connect with others who can provide advice and support. The Be There campaign is an initiative of
the United Way of Allegheny County operating under the belief that kids who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed. By partnering with schools and community groups, Be There creates awareness about the issue of chronic absence and promotes strategies that foster positive environments and cultures that inspire students to come to school every day. The goal of the Be There Community Forum is for community members to connect and feel supported in a way that allows them to do their best to improve school attendance among school-age youth in their lives. If members have any questions or are interested in learning more about how to get involved, they can post on the page or reference Be There’s contact information to reach an associate.
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What is chronic absence? Chronic absence is defined as missing 10% or more of a school year. If broken down, missing only two days of school a month makes a student chronically absent. Nationally, up to 7.5 million students are chronically absent. Multiple years of chronic absence at any point in a student’s career is a forewarning of academic trouble. Research shows that chronically absent students are less likely to succeed academically, are more likely to be suspended, and are more likely to eventually dropout. In fact, one study showed that 3 out of 4 students who are chronically absent in 6th grade will never graduate from high school! Be There believes that by partnering with schools and community groups to develop creative solutions and strategies that prevent and reduce chronic absence, we are working to give students a brighter future. For materials that explain chronic absence and strategies to combat the problem, please reference the “Files” page for related documents. If there is a resource you need and it is not included in those files, refer to the contact information to reach a Be There associate who can do their best to offer useful information.
