Reasons for Chronic Absenteeism – PreK/Head Start Parent Version
Chronic absenteeism, commonly defined as missing 10% or more of instructional days per school year,
has significant impact on student outcomes. It is associated with decreased reading levels, overall
academic performance, on-time graduation rates, and post-secondary enrollment as well as increased
dropout rates.
1
,
2
Fortunately, chronic absenteeism rates are alterable at the student and system level
when interventions are appropriately targeted and matched to student needs.
In order to efficiently and effectively match interventions to student needs, there is a need for reliable
and valid data that provide sufficient information to understand the various challenges students
experience. The Reasons for Chronic Absenteeism (RCA-P)- PreK/Head Start Parent Survey was
developed and underwent extensive validation processes including an expert panel review, parent
reviewers, and a national validation study to ensure the technical adequacy of the items and instrument.
The RCA-P PreK/Head Start is designed for parents of PreK/ Head Start students who have missed 10%
or more instructional days. The survey is comprised of 30 demographics and perception of absences
questions; 35 items measuring multifaceted reasons for absences; and three open-ended questions
asking about other reasons for missing school, the reasons they do come to school, and what would help
them come to school more often. Parents respond to each of the items that ask why they missed school
using a 0-3 scale with response options of Never, Rarely, Sometimes, or Usually. Parents may take the
survey via an online survey platform (e.g. SurveyMonkey©, Qualtrics©, etc.) or hardcopy. Survey
administration takes approximately 20 minutes and multiple parents may take the survey at one time.
Parents may be provided the explanation that they are taking the survey so school staff better
understand why students miss school. Please allow parents privacy to independently answer questions.
ID/Demographics
Demographic Items
What state is your student’s school/center located? (state drop down)
What school district/grantee does your student attend? (district/grantee drop down)
What is the name of your student’s school/center? (school/center drop down)
What is your relationship to the student? (parent, guardian, grandparent, foster parent,
other)
How old are you? (Under 25, 25-30, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, 46-50, 51 and older)
1
Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2012). Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing what we know from nationally available data.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools.
2
Chang, H. & Romero, M. (2008). Present, engaged and accounted for the critical importance of addressing chronic
absence in the early grades. National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP): The Mailman School of Public
Health at Columbia University.
What grade is your student in (Head Start, Pre-school/PreK,)
What is the length of your student’s school day? (Full day, Half day)
How old is your student? (2-5)
What is your gender (male, female, other [for example: transitioning, transgendered, etc.])
What is your student’s gender? (male, female, other [for example: transitioning,
transgendered, etc.])
Does your student get free or reduced price lunch? (yes/no)
What is your level of education? (some high school, high school diploma, GED, some college,
2-year or associates degree, 4-year or bachelors degree, masters degree, doctorate degree,
prefer not to say)
What is your Race/Ethnicity? (*if more than one race select multi-racial)? (Multi-racial,
Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, White, American Indian or Alaskan Native,
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Prefer not to say)
What is your student’s Race/Ethnicity? (*if more than one race select multi-racial)? (Multi-
racial, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, White, American Indian or Alaskan
Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Prefer not to say)
Does your student get special education services? (yes/no)
Is English your first language or the language you use most often? (yes/no)
Is English your student’s first language or the language your student uses most often?
(yes/no)
What is your marital/relationship status? (Married/long term-relationship, Single, divorced,
widowed, prefer not to say)
What is your employment status? (Full-time, part-time, unemployed, retired, disabled,
prefer not to say)
How many people live in your household? (2-6+)
How safe do you think your student’s school is?( Very safe, safe, somewhat unsafe, very
unsafe)
How supportive do you think your student’s school is? (Very supportive, supportive,
somewhat unsupportive, very unsupportive)
How is your student’s overall academic performance? (Average, above average, slightly
below average, significantly below average, not sure)
About how many days of school did your student miss this year? (5 days or less, 6-10 days,
11-15 days, 16-20 days, more than 20 days)
About how many days of school did your student miss in the last month? (0-1 days, 2-3 days,
4 or more days)
Compared to other students, how many school days has your student missed this year? (the
same as other students, more than other students, fewer than other students)
How does your student usually get to/from school- check all that apply? (walk, ride a bike,
by bus, by car,)
How long does it take your student to get to/from school? (Less than 10 min, 10-20 min, 20-
30 min, 30+ min)
On average how many days of school do students miss per school? 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20,
21+
How concerned are you about your student’s absences? (not concerned, somewhat
concerned, very concerned
Survey Items/Directions:
Please rate each question as being Never, Rarely, Sometimes, or Usually the reasons your student has
missed school.
Never means that it is never a reason your student has missed school or that the question is
not true or false .
Rarely means that it is not very often a reason your student has missed school.
Sometimes means that it is a reason your student has missed school more than 3 times.
Usually means that it is often the reason your student has missed school.
Item
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Usually
1. My student was sick
(short term: flu, cold,
headache).
2. My student was sick
(long term: asthma,
allergies, chronic-
illness).
3. My student had a
medical
procedure/surgery.
4. I was sick (short
term).
5. I have a chronic
health condition
(physical, emotional,
addiction, etc.)
6. My student did not
feel safe on the bus
ride or walk to or
from school.
7. My student spent
time with friends or
family instead of
going to school.
8. My student had an
appointment
(doctor, dentist,
counselor, etc.).
9. My student did not
get her/his work
done or study for a
test.
10. There were
problems with the
car (would not run,
ran out of gas, flat
tire, etc.).
11. My student did not
want to be teased or
bullied.
12. My student thinks
school is boring.
13. My student missed
the bus, or the bus
was late or the bus
did not come.
14. My student did not
feel safe at school.
15. There was no reason
for him/her to go to
school.
16. My student had to
take care of or help a
family member
(child, sibling,
relative, etc.).
17. No one misses
her/him when my
student doesn’t come
to school.
18. I don’t think school
will help her/him
reach future goals.
19. My student did not
want to walk in bad
weather.
20. My student
overslept.
21. I overslept.
22. My student was too
stressed or upset to
come to school.
23. I had to go to court
or was in jail.
24. My student had to go
to court or was in
jail/juvenile
detention center
25. My student did not
want to see another
student(s) because
of drama or conflict.
26. My student was
suspended.
27. My student didn’t
have the right or
clean clothes or
supplies for school.
28. We were homeless
or had no place to
stay.
29. I was not able to
arrange
transportation
to/from school
30. The water, heat, or
power were turned
off at home.
31. I did not have child
care before/after
school.
32. My student’s school
does not have basic
supplies (books,
toilet paper, etc.).
33. My student did not
want to get in-
trouble for being late
or tardy.
34. My student or I had
to move.
35. My student gets sent
to the office too
much.
36. Are there any other reasons not listed that your student misses school? (open ended)
37. What are the reasons your student does come to school (e.g. teachers, friends, to
learn/future goals, clubs/sports, activities, etc.)? (open-ended)
38. What would help her/him come to school more or miss fewer days? (open-ended)
For additional information on the hardcopy version or survey administration and scoring contact:
Preferred Citation: Humm Brundage, A., & Castillo, J. (2018). Reasons for Chronic Absenteeism-Parent PreK/Head
Start (RCA-P). Florida’s Problem Solving/Response to Intervention Project, University of South Florida
