I hate to use the word mandatory for things when there are no real consequences. I don't mean to seem ungrateful or in any way disagreeable. I am currently in a parish of 900 families. I don't believe these rules and guidelines would encourage families to enter our program. In this time and society, we have to be so much more liberal and accepting of not only absences, but other parish children entering our program from other parishes and other faiths.
Some families only bring their children sporadically.
I wish I had the children each week. To me however, I see the other side of the coin. I'm so grateful and happy to have them when I DO get to see them. I encourage my teachers to not only make them extremely comfortable, but to welcome them unquestioningly every time they appear. Ask about their lives and things like that.