I – 018 Under what conditions may a Head Start agency terminate the enrollment of a child due to sporadic attendance or extended absences?
If a child is absent for an extended period, such as 30 days or more, or attends only sporadically, for example one or two days per week, the Head Start agency should determine why this is occurring. When absences are due to a documented medical condition, the program should continue to provide family support and interim home visiting as appropriate until the child is able to return to the program. If there are family problems affecting the child’s attendance appropriate family support procedures should be initiated. The procedures must include home visits or other direct contact with the parents. All contacts and services offered and provided should be documented. If these efforts are not successful, and chronic absenteeism continues, the agency should determine whether it is able to provide the child with appropriate services in another program option. If that is not feasible, the agency may, after informing the family, designate the slot as an enrollment vacancy and proceed to enrol
