Using behavioral insights to increase attendance at subsidized preschool programs: The Show Up to Grow Up intervention

High levels of absenteeism are common in subsidized preschool programs. Studies show that the share of children in Head Start programs who miss more than 10% of the school days (or over a month of instructional time) is 36% in Chicago. This startling trend continues over the course of the child’s education: one-third of chronically absent four-year-olds continue to be chronically absent in kindergarten and of these students more than 30% are still chronically absent in second grade.<br><br>Absenteeism is a problem for preschool children because they miss crucial time to develop kindergarten readiness skills. But in many cases it is also an indication that their parents may need help with developing the habit of regular school attendance in order to avoid creating a cycle of absenteeism that could later lead to school failure. Preschool absences may also be a signal of other problems related to parent and child planning and self-regulation. Helping parents establish regular school attendance may therefore help parents and children develop routines that have positive spillovers to other behaviors.<br><br>Behavioral science has shown that individuals often encounter cognitive roadblocks that prevent them from engaging in behavior that they themselves want to do. Head Start programs stress the importance of attendance, and low-income children are less often absent from kindergarten than preschool. This suggests that one or more cognitive roadblocks may reduce attendance in the preschool years.<br><br>This randomized controlled trial aims to develop a cost-effective and scalable behavioral approach to understanding and reducing absenteeism in Head Start programs. Show Up 2 Grow Up implements a series of text messages (approximately 4 per week). These messages 1) emphasize the importance of preschool learning concepts to kindergarten readiness; 2) prompt parents to identify obstacles to attendance and create plans to address these obstacles; 3) provide information to parents about their children's monthly attendance rates; 4) remind parents to maintain a goal of daily attendance. We have created a platform for parents to maintain a monthly goal of 100% for their child's attendance and the intervention provides objective feedback for parents on their success in meeting these goals.<br><br>https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.11.002 <br><br><br><br><br>