CC Idaho/MSHS ERSEA ATTENDANCE

ERSEA 603

Procedures

REFERENCES & CROSS REFERENCE

HSPS 1302.16, Absenteeism ERSEA P03
OUTCOME
To emphasize the benefits of regular attendance of children, while at the same time, remaining
sensitive to any special family circumstances.

Accountability: To account for children within the MSHS centers. To comply with the 85%
attendance rate set by the Head Start Performance Standards.

Record Keeping: The documentation of records, appropriately filing the documents and meeting
timelines are necessary to support the reimbursement received from the USDA/CACFP program.
RESPONSIBILITY
Data Support Specialist-monitoring & implementation
Nutrition Services Specialist-monitoring
Center Coordinators-reporting
Education Coordinators-monitoring
Teachers-implementation
Family Service Advocates-implementation
IMPLEMENTATION WITH TIMELINES
ATTENDANCE

Infants/Toddlers: (Hardcopy)

Attendance will be documented during group activity before breakfast. Teachers will document
children that are (P) Present or (A) Absent. Teachers will update 2315 Attendance and Meal Count
Worksheet throughout the day to ensure all children are counted.

Preschool: (Scanning)

Children ID cards will be stored in the Emergency Binder. When children arrive to the classroom the
teacher will identify who is present and remove ID cards from the Emergency Binder and place them
on lanyard and proceed to scanning the cards (check in). The cards of the children whom are absent
will remain in the Emergency Binder. Teachers are responsible for scanning the ID card (checkout)
and removing from lanyard when children leave prior to schedule departure. Teacher/Aide will place
the ID card back in the Emergency Binder. The number of ID cars on lanyard should match the
number of children present at ALL times. (Emergency Purposes)

FSAs collect the Meal Count worksheets (I&T Attendance Meal Worksheet-2315 DA & MC
Worksheet) for I/T and will contact the child’s family to document the reason for children’s
absences. For Preschool children, the FSA will review the attendance by using Entry
Express>Attendance> (Preschool Class). Children whose Att. is greyed out are the children who
were Absent.

FSAs will contact the child’s family who didn’t show up within an hour of the center’s starting time
to document children’s absences. FSA selects (E) Excused absence or (U) for Unexcused absence

Revised IIG 01/2017

CC Idaho/MSHS ERSEA ATTENDANCE
ERSEA 603

Procedures
for each child and documented in CP. FSAs selects reason for Absence in Child Plus. Options are
sick, no transportation, weather, religious/cultural, medical reason, family circumstance, or other. If
a child was absent the contact made with the family will be documented on the Attendance Follow
Up/Attendance tab in CP. (Clicking on the child’s name will direct you to that tab.)

***First week of service, ALL classrooms use a hardcopy attendance meal count worksheet,
after the first week FSAs will print Attendance>2315 Daily Attendance and Meals Worksheet
report per class weekly***

Before a child’s slot becomes an enrollment vacancy, an Emergency FAM Case Management
meeting must take place on the second day of the consecutive absence. Following the Emergency
FAM Case Management meeting, there must be documented attempts of a home visit in Child Plus
or other forms of direct contact after the second consecutive unexcused absence. The attempts must
be documented on Child Plus, under the attendance for that child by using Add Follow Up.

These attempts to contact the parents are to emphasize the benefits of regular attendance while at the
same time remaining sensitive to any special family circumstances. If MSHS is unable to continue to
provide services to family and/or the family is no longer interested in receiving MSHS services, it
will be documented in Child Plus Enrollment Module as Drop (leaving the area), Drop/Wait
(withdrawing but wants to be placed on the waitlist), or Abandoned (family is no longer interested
and doesn’t want to be placed on a waitlist). It will also be documented under Family Services in the
Home Visit Module on the Transition Questions.

If all resources and/or means to attempt contact are exhausted, the child will be withdrawn from the
program.

MSHS staff will send an email to the DSS notifying him/her of the possible withdrawal. It is up to
the MSHS Program Director and/or appointed designee discretion to approve the vacancy. Once the
vacancy is approved, the child will be placed back on the waiting list.

Unforeseen family circumstances such as family emergencies will be reviewed on a case by case
basis. If there are extenuating circumstances, the DSS must be contacted for advisement on the
matter.

MEAL COUNT

Meal codes are defined on 2315 Daily Attendance and Meals Worksheet as (B) breakfast, (L) lunch,
and (P) pm snack.

Infant and Toddlers:

Teachers will circle the appropriate meal code at “point-of-service” for each child. Totals will be
added daily and documented in the Meal Totals section at the bottom of the worksheet.

At the end of each week all completed 2315 Daily Attendance and Meal Count Worksheets will be
given to the Center Coordinator to be filed in the USDA file folder.

Revised IIG 01/2017

CC Idaho/MSHS ERSEA ATTENDANCE
ERSEA 603

Procedures
Preschool: (Scanning)

At the end of the week the CC will generate report 2310 Daily Attendance by Classroom and place
with USDA Binder/Folder.

“Point-of-service” can be captured by assigning a staff member/volunteer to scan ID cards during

meals times. When possible, the assigned person will be responsible for scanning ID cards for the
meal. After the IDs are scanned, the assigned person can sit down and eat with children.

If due to ratios, there is not person available in the classroom, the IC will delegate the responsibility
to another staff member, (e.g., cook, cook aid, floater, CMT staff) to come into the classroom to scan
ID cards. Participants who come to the table with the intention of eating and are served a
reimbursable meal may be included in the meal count even if they do not eat.

The following are example of meal count methods that are not acceptable:
 Counting the number of meals prepared or sent by the kitchen
 Counting meals after the meal is completed based on teacher’s memory
 Basing meal counts on daily attendance records; and
 Counting the number of plates on which food is served
 When scanning a meal after the set meal time, CP will not allow you to scan the ID card (ie:
if you are scanning a breakfast at 9:05 am it will not allow you to scan until the next
scheduled meal-lunch)

*Teacher/Aids who are assigned to a table are not to get up from the table during meal times to
scan ID cards.

In addition, if a child was served a non-creditable meal, it will not be counted for reimbursement
(refer to CACFP Center Manual, Chapter 8, page 52 for Meal Service Requirements). Meal counts
that are not documented at “point-of-service” will not be acceptable to be added the monthly
reimbursement claim.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Centers will have 2315 Daily Attendance and Meal Count Worksheets readily available for each
classroom, in the serving area. The dates for the worksheet will be written in the upper right hand
corner in Attendance for _______-_____ section.

Meals served to teachers, visitors, and/or siblings will be recorded in the Non-Part Non-CACFP
portion of 2315 Daily Attendance and Meal Count Worksheet for Infant and Toddlers and on the
N14-Monthly Non-Participant CACFP Meals Worksheet for Preschool. Keep worksheets in a way
staff can easily find and record meal counts.

DEFENITIONS

Point-of-Service-when the participant has received a reimbursable meal at the dining table with the
meal set on the table.

Revised IIG 01/2017

CC Idaho/MSHS ERSEA ATTENDANCE
ERSEA 603

Procedures
Excused Absence are a result of illness, medical or family emergency crisis or for other well
documented reasons.
Unexcused Absence are a result from other factors, not categorized as an excused absence. This may
include but not be limited to temporary family problems.

Evidence

 Child Plus 2315 Daily Attendance and Meal Count Worksheets (Child Plus Report)
 FAM Case Management Tracking
 Enrollment Roster
 Waiting List-Child Plus
 Home Visit-Child Plus
 Individualized Family Partnership Agreement-Child Plus
 Family Service Referral Report-Child Plus

Revised IIG 01/2017