Why kindergarten counts

The youngest pupils miss the most school. Those lost days can ripple through reading, math and social skills for years.

- JENNY GOLD

CHILDREN head to 24th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles on the first morning of a new school year.

Photographs by AL SEIB For The Times

Many parents worry about “senioritis” causing their teenagers to cut class. But the students who miss the most days of school in California are kindergartners, according to a report released Monday.

While skipping out on Play-Doh and coloring might not sound serious, chronic absenteeism — defined as missing at least 10% of school days — in the early years can have long-term effects on literacy, future educational success and social-emotional development.

Studies have found that children who are chronically absent in kindergarten are less likely to read and count proficiently by the end of third grade, and the declines are particularly acute among English-language learners.

The report by Los Angeles-based nonprofit Families in Schools in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District focused on the chronic absenteeism of Latino children, who make up 73% of the students in the district.

A series of parent focus groups offered insights into why rates have remained high — and suggested some potential solutions.

When parents said their child missed school for an array of reasons, most cited illness and chronic health conditions, which they didn't generally associate with a problematic absence, according to the report.

"I wish the school or district would do a better job explaining what it means to be chronically absent. It's not clear to me, and I think many other parents are in the same boat," said one parent in a focus group.