Based on a 180-day school year, any student who misses 18 days or more per year--or about two days per month--is considered chronically absent. An alarming 4,328 Newark students in grades kindergarten through 3rd grade were chronically absent during the 2013-14 school year. When young students miss too much school, they will likely struggle academically during that school year and in years to come. The early grades are a critical time for children to build social and academic skills for later success. National research indicates that children who were chronically absent in kindergarten had the lowest performance in reading and math in 5th grade, as well as higher rates of absenteeism and social-emotional difficulties in later school years. This policy brief provides an overview of the state of chronic absenteeism in the early grades in Newark's schools, takes a deeper look at the reasons causing severe absenteeism and offers strategies that schools, the district and the community can implement to ensure regular school attendance. While this brief focuses on Newark, many of the lessons learned through the research here can be applied to similar cities throughout the state. [Contributors to this report include: Kristen Brady, Lana Lee, Nancy Parello, and Sheldon Presser.]