Valley of the Sun United Way has been awarded a $475,000 grant from the Helios Education Foundation to look into chronic student absenteeism in Maricopa County.

The grant is being used to develop a strategy at a time when about one-third of K-12 students in Arizona are considered chronically absent, which is when students miss 10% or more of the school year, a Valley of the Sun United Way press release explains.

The grant will be distributed over the next three years.

In partnership with Read On Arizona, Valley of the Sun United Way will use the funding to assist schools and districts that have completed e-learning modules by providing coaching and mentorship programs for teachers, as well as school and district administrators. This includes evaluating individual student attendance rates of K-12 schools in Maricopa County to determine the schools in need of the most resources.

“Supporting families to ensure their children are able to attend class and actively engage in learning is fundamental to their future success in life,” Carla Vargas Jasa, Valley of the Sun United Way president and CEO, stated. “We know we can have a positive impact by reducing chronic absenteeism in Maricopa County and this funding will provide the resources needed to help children succeed in school.”

Valley of the Sun United Way is also cultivating a peer-learning network and community task force that focuses on ensuring absenteeism rates decline two percentage points each year. The goal of the network and task force is to bring together community leaders, educators, students, and families to address the growing problem and need for resolution.

“When students are absent from the classroom they are at higher risk of educational delays and more likely to drop out of school,” Paul J. Luna, Helios Education Foundation president and CEO, stated.

Chronic absenteeism in Arizona increased from 14% in 2018-2019 to 34% in 2021-2022, according to Arizona Department of Education data.

This increase places Arizona in the Top 10 states from across the nation with the highest levels of chronic absenteeism.