BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 30, 2013) — Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and community sponsors announced the 2nd annual Mayor’s School Attendance Campaign: It Takes a Baltimore Community to Raise a Child during a visit to Frederick Elementary School. The competition will highlight community efforts to fight truancy in Baltimore City Schools and work with partners to encourage youth to get to school on time and ready to learn.

Each year, 15 percent of Baltimore City elementary students are chronically absent, missing more than 20 days of school over the course of the school year. Over the course of their first five years in school, 36 percent of Baltimore’s youngest students are chronically absent during at least one year.

“We want all of our children to succeed—which is why we started this attendance competition in partnership with a number of community sponsors,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said during the event. “You may not be our children by birth, but you are all our children by community, because we are one Baltimore. Everyone here has a stake in making sure you succeed.” Each Monday during the next several months, the mayor and community partners will visit participating schools and encourage participation in the competition.

Throughout the 2013 – 2014 school year, schools across the city will compete for fun and prizes. The school with the greatest improvement in attendance, as compared to the same period last year, will win exciting incentives. Incentives will benefit students, school administrators, and the community.

For the 2013 – 2014 competition program, schools within specified grade brackets will compete with one another. Brackets for pre-K – kindergarten and 1st – 8th grades will compete from September 30 to November 25. The 9th – 12th grade bracket will compete from March 3 – May 12.

The winning school in each grade bracket will receive a monetary award. Students at the winning school will receive incentives that continue to build a stronger educational environment, as well as a congratulatory special event.

“Comcast invests in Baltimore City schools and students through various youth leadership, education, and digital literacy programs—like the Mayor’s School Attendance Campaign and our Internet Essentials broadband adoption program,” said Donna Rattley Washington, regional vice president of government and community affairs for Comcast, a sponsor of this year’s campaign. “We’re pleased to join the mayor in support of this initiative that recognizes students for their commitment to being in school.”

Additional sponsors include Under Armour, Port Discovery, the Baltimore Blast, and Domino’s Pizza.