Stay in the Game

What Stay in the Game does

Stay in the Game! is a nonprofit statewide network, launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and Harvard's Proving Ground, and managed by Battelle as its hosting organization. The network is designed to improve student attendance across Ohio K-12 schools by enrolling school districts as members and equipping them with attendance campaign materials, peer learning opportunities, and data coaching. It currently spans 237+ member districts representing more than 600,000 students annually, supported by an annual Attend Ohio conference that draws nearly 500 district leaders and educators.

The network's core product is the Campaign Playbook, a customizable campaign guide hosted at sitg-playbook.com, complemented by a library of free downloadable resources including the Attendance Tracker, Attendance Awards, grade-segmented parent and caregiver tip sheets, pledge posters, and yard signs. Technology is intentionally lightweight: the playbook is distributed digitally to member districts, resources are PDF/print assets, and there is no mobile application, API, or disclosed software platform. A separate online store operated by partner Shamrock Companies sells additional team-branded campaign materials to Attendance All-Star Districts, providing a small direct-to-customer merchandise channel.

The business model is that of a nonprofit collective impact initiative with no membership fees charged to districts. The network is funded by founding partners and supplemented by sports team partnerships with the Cleveland Browns (founding), Columbus Crew (since 2022), FC Cincinnati (since 2024), and Pittsburgh Steelers (since 2025), which contribute co-branded mascots, player posters, and community engagement assets. Distribution is primarily through district self-signup via an interest form, plus the annual conference, social media, a monthly newsletter, and success story content marketing. The organization does not disclose financials and is not structured as a venture- or equity-backed entity.

Name

Stay in the Game

Legal name

Stay in the Game! Attendance Network

Website

https://stayinthegame.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stay in the Game! is a nonprofit statewide network, managed by Battelle, that provides Ohio K-12 school districts with attendance improvement campaigns, peer learning resources, and sports team branding to reduce chronic absenteeism across 237+ member districts representing 600,000+ students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Attendance Improvement Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Attendance, Truancy & Enrollment Compliance (EDAJAHAC)

Keywords

• Student attendance network
• School attendance improvement
• Chronic absenteeism intervention
• K-12 attendance campaigns
• Education collective impact

Headquarters

HQ city

Berea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Network Membership & Grants: Stay in the Game! is a nonprofit initiative managed by Battelle, launched and funded by founding partners including the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and Harvard's Proving Ground. The network operates as a collective impact initiative without a commercial revenue model. No membership fees are charged to districts.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stay in the Game! is a statewide attendance improvement network for Ohio K-12 schools, managed by Battelle. It provides member school districts with a customizable Campaign Playbook, branded attendance campaign materials, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, data coaching, and an annual conference. The service is provided free to districts and is funded by founding partners including the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and Harvard's Proving Ground, with sports team co-marketing through Cleveland Browns, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Product overview

Stay in the Game! is a single unified network/movement focused on improving student attendance in Ohio. The core offering is the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, managed by Battelle, which provides districts with a Campaign Playbook, downloadable resources (Attendance Tracker, Attendance Awards, Parent/Caregiver Tips), and peer learning opportunities. The network partners with sports teams (Cleveland Browns, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, Pittsburgh Steelers) for branding and awareness campaigns. An annual Attend Ohio conference provides professional development, and an online store sells branded merchandise. The product is not a SaaS platform but rather a collaborative network with downloadable tools and resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stay in the Game! Attendance Network A statewide membership network for Ohio K-12 school districts that provides campaign resources, peer learning opportunities, data-driven support, and implementation assistance to reduce chronic absenteeism. Membership is free to districts.
• Campaign Playbook A customizable campaign guide for districts and schools to develop attendance campaigns, including strategies for communications, engagement, and implementation. Available to member districts through the Playbook login.
• Attend Ohio Conference Annual conference bringing together district leaders and educators for collaboration, learning, and resource sharing on student attendance improvement. Held in Columbus, Ohio.
• Stay in the Game! Online Store Online store operated by Shamrock Companies that sells team-branded attendance campaign materials to Attendance All-Star Districts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students who have never been chronically absent are 3.9x more likely to read on grade level by end of third grade
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• BattellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBattelle is the network host and manager of Stay in the Game! Attendance Network as part of the company's commitment to inspiring the next generation of innovators. Battelle manages daily network operations and strategic growth.
• Cleveland Browns FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner since 2019. The Cleveland Browns Foundation has been committed to student attendance since 2015 when it partnered with Cleveland Metropolitan School District on the Get 2 School You Can Make It! campaign that reduced absenteeism by 30%.
• Ohio Department of Education and WorkforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner since 2019. The department is on a mission to ensure every student has access to an education that helps them reach their full potential, centering equity, partnerships, and quality schools.
• Harvard's Proving GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner since 2019. An initiative of Harvard University's Center for Education Policy Research that supports Stay in the Game! through data analysis, strategic advice, hands-on assistance, and peer networking opportunities.
• Columbus CrewmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports team partner since 2022. Columbus Crew provides player posters, mascot appearances, pledge posters, welcome back posters, teacher notes, and yard signs featuring the Crew branding for attendance campaigns.
• FC CincinnatimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports team partner since 2024. FC Cincinnati provides player posters, pledge posters, mascot Gary the Lion, welcome back posters, teacher notes, and yard signs for the Stay in the Game! attendance campaign.
• Pittsburgh SteelersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports team partner since 2025. Most recent sports team addition to the partnership network.
• Shamrock CompaniesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner responsible for creation and operation of the Stay in the Game! Online Store where Attendance All-Star Districts can purchase team-branded campaign materials.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BellXcel: K-12 nonprofit (formerly Bell / The After-School Corporation) delivering out-of-school and engagement programs that improve attendance and persistence. Comparable mission targeting K-12 districts with measurable attendance outcomes.
• Attendance Works: National nonprofit that is the leading voice on chronic absenteeism, providing research, tools, and direct district support to reduce absences. Directly comparable mission, target audience (K-12 schools and districts), and intervention approach to Stay in the Game!.
• Kickboard: K-12 student behavior and attendance tracking platform sold to districts as software. Comparable K-12 attendance outcome focus with a more software-driven delivery model.
• United Way Worldwide: Operates chronic absenteeism and attendance improvement initiatives across many local United Way chapters, often in partnership with school districts. Comparable network-based, multi-stakeholder approach to attendance improvement.
• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit that places site coordinators inside K-12 schools to deliver integrated student supports, with attendance improvement as a core outcome metric. Directly comparable in-school intervention model and K-12 district customer base.
• City Year: Nonprofit that places near-peer mentors in schools to improve attendance, engagement, and on-track graduation rates. Directly comparable in-school attendance-improvement model serving similar district customers.
• Get Schooled: Nonprofit that partnered with the NFL, NBA, and entertainment brands to engage students on attendance and college access. Most structurally similar to Stay in the Game! because of its sports-and-entertainment-branded engagement campaigns aimed at K-12 attendance and persistence.
• Reading Partners: K-12 literacy nonprofit whose tutoring programs explicitly track attendance as a leading indicator of reading outcomes. Closely aligned target population, school-district customer base, and outcome metrics (attendance correlated with reading proficiency).

Others

• Battelle: Large nonprofit research organization that hosts and manages Stay in the Game! Attendance Network as a program. Comparable only as parent/host organization rather than a competitor.
• Battelle for Kids: Education-focused nonprofit affiliate of Battelle working with K-12 districts on leadership, engagement, and student-success initiatives. Related ecosystem participant rather than a direct attendance-competition peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SITG_Network
• Facebookfacebook.com/SITGNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sitgnetwor
• Instagraminstagram.com/sitg_browns

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stay in the Game