Evaluation of the Merced County Attendance Project (MerCAP)

EVALUATION OF THE MERCED COUNTY ATTENDANCE PROJECT (MerCAP) (1997-2000)

The Merced County Attendance Project (MerCAP) Final Evaluation Report

The Merced County Attendance Project (MerCAP) is a demonstration project conducted by the Merced County Human Services Agency and Merced County Schools. Its purpose is to address high absenteeism rates among students from families receiving cash assistance through the new California Work Opportunities and Responsibility for Kids (CalWORKs) program, formerly known as AFDC, Aid to Families with Dependent Children. The program's primary objective is to interrupt the cycle of financial dependence in a CalWORKs household through early intervention. The program targeted children ages 6-15 in an effort to reduce absenteeism that contributes to lack of school success, school dropouts, poor preparation for work, and related problems in later years.

MerCAP emphasized a social service and academic community effort to support better attendance and greater school success among CalWORKs students. Schools used high absenteeism as an opportunity to meet with parents to discuss family problems which may be addressed through supportive services. Under a waiver obtained from the California Department of Social Services, the MerCAP pilot operated for three years, beginning with the 1997-98 school year.

Under MerCAP's pilot program, CalWORKs children were required to attend school full-time. Failure to meet this requirement resulted in a fiscal sanction that reduced the family's cash assistance by the amount for that child for a minimum of one month. Full-time attendance was defined as fewer than 10 absences during the course of the school year, independent of whether absences are excused or unexcused. At any time, parents may provide the schools with good cause to remove absences from consideration toward sanction. Unless this occured, accrued absences will trigger school-based interventions, including letters sent to parents after five and seven absences, and a school-parent conference after seven absences to develop a Corrective Action Plan. After a tenth absence, the school notified the Human Service Agency to sanction the family.

The California Department of Social Services contracted with the California Communities Program for a research team to evaluate MerCAP. The evaluation report examined the impacts of the project, the process by which it was implemented, and the cost of implementation.