Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed.
Every Day Counts brings schools, families, and community stakeholders together to remove barriers to regular school attendance because every day a child is in school is another opportunity to learn, grow, build confidence, and create a brighter future.
Leon County works together—through shared leadership and collective action—to ensure that every child from birth through 5th grade has the support to attend school consistently, develop strong early learning habits, and thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Improving school attendance is bigger than any one school or organization. As a trusted convener, the Community Foundation brings together organizations, resources, and ideas to solve complex challenges that affect our region. Every Day Counts reflects the Foundation’s commitment to improving lives by strengthening opportunity for children and families and advancing long‑term economic mobility.
Why Attendance Matters
Regular school attendance is one of the strongest predictors of academic success and long‑term opportunity. Attendance challenges often begin earlier than many people realize, and they are often connected to broader family circumstances such as health, transportation, housing instability, or work schedules.
Research shows:
Patterns established in Pre‑K predict attendance throughout elementary school.
Consistent Pre-K attendance increases kindergarten readiness and the likelihood of reading proficiency by third grade.
Chronic absenteeism in grades K-5 is linked to lower academic achievement, reduced engagement, and fewer long-term opportunities
Many barriers are rooted in health, transportation, housing, or work challenges
Education Leadership Council
Every Day Counts is guided by a diverse group of leaders representing education, research, philanthropy, business, and community organizations. This collaborative structure reflects the belief that lasting solutions require shared leadership.
The Astoria Park Elementary Pilot
Astoria Park Elementary, a Title I school in Leon County, is the first site for the Every Day Counts pilot. The school has experienced significantly higher rates of chronic absenteeism, and its leadership embraced the opportunity to partner with the community on innovative solutions.
Looking Ahead
Astoria Park is the beginning—not the destination.
Every Day Counts is designed to help our community learn what works, strengthen partnerships, and create a sustainable model that can support more children, more families, and more schools across North Florida.
Our Guiding Belief
Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. When schools, families, and the community work together, we can remove barriers, strengthen relationships, and help every child build a brighter future.
Because every day counts.