Determining if Custodial Grandparents of Pre-K--Third Grade Students Perceive Delivery of Information and Services Offered as Effective in Decreasing Early Chronic Absence

This study examined the delivery of information/services offered to custodial grandparents of pre-k--3rd students to determine if they were effective in decreasing chronic early absence (CEA, 10% or more absences) as defined by Chang and Romero (2008). This mixed-method, multi-case study focused on the perceived needs of custodial grandparents and examined if the school system was meeting those needs. Participants included 5 custodial grandparents (4 females, 1 male, mean age = 51.8) who had grandchildren grades pre-k--3 in a Northeast Tennessee school system who met the definition of CEA (as determined by Skyward Database), and 4 custodial grandparents (all female, mean age = 53) whose grandchildren had the highest attendance rates (top 5%). Three teachers and 2 Family Resource Center (FRC) staff also participated to provide the school perspective. School database information and 3 researcher-developed questionnaires were used. Results indicated that children in grandparent-led households were significantly more likely to meet the criteria of CEA than children from parent-led households, chi2 (4) = 2857.4, p < .000. Other major findings include: 1) despite a school-wide campaign, none of the grandparents and most of the school personnel had not heard of or could not define CEA; 2) sickness was the primary reason for absences, with all CEA grandparents noting that their grandchild was frequently ill; 3) the preferred method of communication was written (e.g., notes, flyers) followed closely by verbal (e.g., phone calls), which matched the actual communication used by school personnel (primarily notes or phone calls); 4) communication was primarily about events, trips, or conferences, followed closely by requests for money or to buy things; there was little communication about attendance or its importance; and 5) grandparents in the high attendance group were more like to own a computer, have internet access, use e-mail/social media, have both grandparents in the house, be employed, and have the parents also involved than were grandparents in the CEA group.