During the last US Census, about a million children around the country were not counted1. This translated into roughly $1.2B in federal funding that is lost for the youngest members of our community. Every child, even newborns, are counted in the US Census. This time around, the Y and our partners are making sure that all are represented.
How are children counted?
The US Census will occur by April 1, 2020. Every household will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. There are three options for responding:
- Online
- By Phone
- By Mail
Every child counts. Here are some tips to count the children in your home:
- Count children in the home where they live and sleep most of the time, even if their parents don't live there.
- If a child's time is divided between two homes, count them where they stay most often. If they evenly divide their time, or you do know where they stay most often, count them where they are staying on April 1, 2020.
- If a child moves during March or April 2020, count them at the address where they are living on April 1.
- Count children living in your home if they don't have a permanent place to live and are staying with you on April 1, even if they are only staying temporarily.
- Count newborns at the home where they will live and sleep most of the time, even if they are still in the hospital on April 1.
- Remind neighbors to count all children living or sleeping in their home most of the time, regardless of who or where their parents are.
Get your kids involved in the US Census!
The US Census is important for not only parents, but kids as well! To get your children excited for the 2020 Census and help them understand why it's so important, check out these fun activities for families:
Statistics in Schools Coloring Book
Statistics in School Story Book
Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census - Sesame Workshop
What is the US Census and why is it so important?
The US Census is a count of every person living in the US that occurs every 10 years since 1790. This count is conducted by the US Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. (Census 2020) The census determines how many seats each state has in the US House of Representatives and how much federal funding each community will receive for services such as schools, child care funding, and grants to support our teachers. For more information, read our blog post: Census is Happening in 2020.
If you are interested in what kind of questions will be asked, you can download a sample copy of the questionnaire here. There will be no citizenship questions in the 2020 Census.