Community Aides Reach Out to Families

Helping Students Who Repeatedly Miss School

The Palm Springs Unified School District (CA) is using community aides to reach out to families of students who repeatedly do not come to school. Teams, working in shifts from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., make as many as 6 to 10 home visits daily. Their goals are to help students and families increase their focus on school attendance and involvement and to help them resolve whatever issues are keeping the kids from attending school. The program, put together by Jane Mills, director of child welfare and attendance, is currently being evaluated.