Let's Make it Easier to Report an Absence!

 You know what's awful? Mornings before work/school. 

Even when I lay out my clothes the night before, I get a good night's sleep, and I meal prepped over the weekend... mornings still feel chaotic for some reason. So, when those moments pop up where one of my own children report that they're not feeling well, it sends my own anxiety into overdrive: Now I've got to arrange childcare. Do I have time to make sub plans right this second? Do I need to make a doctor's appointment for this? Where is the children's Tylenol? And finally - Wait- what number do I have to use to call in and report their absence at school?

Let's simplify this moment of panic! As we start to prep back-to-school resources, here's one quick tip for you that can be a momentary life-saver for families we serve. Create a quick, customized "Report an Absence" card with the school's number/messaging service and indicate what time the phone call must be received by. Print, laminate, and pop a magnet on the back. Distribute these at your back-to-school nights and be ready to receive a lot of thank yous! CLICK HERE for a sample! Just go to FILE & MAKE A COPY so you can tweak this to fit your school!


To take it a step further (let's chat, secondary folks!), let families know if this is an automated machine or a real human on the line. Some schools have separate systems. Some schools even have different phone lines for different languages. MANY folks I know (of all ages) have awful phone anxiety (yes, that's a thing. More on that here), so providing a script can be SUPER helpful. Link all that information and pop it one spot, and provide a SCRIPT for families to read into the automated message! This is especially helpful if families have to provide a lot of information. CLICK HERE for a sample script! Just go to FILE & MAKE A COPY so you can tweak this to fit your school! 

Combine the tools together and include the phone number AND the script (this template is on the second page of the first link).

My TikTok Explanation here! 

This is one tool that can help to lower the morning stress of families we serve. 

Comments

  1. TMAugust 8, 2023 at 10:37 AM

    I love this. The first link to the green sheet though takes me to the script too. Can I have the sample on the green page?

    ReplyDelete
  2. KavitaAugust 9, 2023 at 4:08 PM

    This is awesome!! Thanks for sharing these great resources.

    ReplyDelete

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