Kaiser Permanente Northwest awarded $1 million in grants to address high absenteeism rates in Southwest Washington and Oregon schools.
Kaiser awarded grants to seven local organizations — one in Clark County — to help stem the tide of chronic absenteeism in schools. Washington and Oregon absenteeism rates are among the highest in the nation.
The goals of the three-year initiative are to reduce individual, family, community and systems barrier to school attendance; improve community awareness of the important of being at school; increase connections to social and health services for students, teachers and school staff; and identify policies and systems that will support consistent school attendance.
Each grant recipient will receive $150,000 over a three-year period.
Educational Service District 112 was the one Southwest Washington grant recipient. The district will convene school leaders and staff, pediatricians, and behavioral health and national experts to implement a pilot project in six elementary schools in Clark and Cowlitz counties to address chronic absenteeism.
