Help NYC's Students in Need Catch Up at School

Throughout our history, Children’s Aid has been devoted to the education of young people — one of the best research-backed pathways to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and achieve better life outcomes during adulthood. Children’s Aid recognized this issue early in its existence, which is why we actively campaigned for a compulsory education law for children that the New York State Legislature eventually passed in 1873.

Today, compulsory education is practiced throughout the country. But 150 years later, challenges with attendance rates still exist in New York. Since the pandemic, some schools have seen drastic drops in attendance. According to the New York City Department of Education, 40 percent of public-school students were chronically absent during the 2021-2022 school year. The rate improved slightly in the 2022-2023 school year, with 36% chronically absent, but this is still much higher than the average rate of 25% before the pandemic.

To combat chronic absenteeism, Children’s Aid employs a variety of strategies aimed at engaging students and families. Our “advocate mentors” work with individual students to ensure they are showing up to school and work with families to remove barriers and develop solutions to increase their children’s attendance. And our community schools provide meals, medical services, and other essential services that many children may not otherwise have access to. These programs and services incentivize attendance and situate school as a central part of students’ lives. Thanks to your support, we can continue to provide these services and work toward solving the crisis of chronic absenteeism so that all our young people have bright futures.  

Links:

• Combatting Chronic Absenteeism, One Student at a Time
• How a Bronx Community School Director Helps her Students Thrive
• The Unique Impact of Community Schools