From Absentee to Avid Student

When program manager Ms. Kat first got Bobby on her caseload in 2024, his attendance rate at Wartburg Elementary School was only 75%. Motivating him to come to school was difficult, and getting him into the building without crying was a struggle every day.

Then Ms. Kat started working with Bobby to create positive experiences at school. She discovered that he loves playing with the sensory bin in her classroom and letting his imagination run wild with art projects. Working with Ms. Kat gave Bobby something to look forward to at school, and both his motivation and his attendance skyrocketed.

Bobby also enjoys reading books with Ms. Kat, and his love of storytelling is helping him to make friends: During recess, he can be found participating in role playing imagination games with his friends or retelling some of his favorite stories. Ms. Kat says that this year Bobby seems to be going out of his way to make more friends and participate during class time.

Bobby’s attendance has also remained strong into this school year, and he finished the first quarter with a 95% attendance rate. He even achieved perfect attendance in August, and was awarded with a certificate that recognized his accomplishment – go Bobby!

Ms. Kat (left) and Bobby (right) show off his perfect attendance certificate.