CLEVELAND, Feb. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S.
Census Bureau hosted an event to highlight efforts to ensure
all young children are counted in the 2020 Census. Children under
five years old are among population groups historically
undercounted in the census. The Census Bureau is making a concerted
effort to address this issue by creating community partnerships,
educational programs, awareness campaigns and operational
innovations with the goal of raising awareness of the importance of
counting young children.
During a news conference in Cleveland,
Ohio, the Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO), a
2020 Census partner, announced that March
25, 2020, is designated as Every Child Counts Day — a day
when the pediatric community is encouraged to tell the adults they
interact with about counting every child living in their homes in
the 2020 Census.
"We are so happy that partners like the Federation of Pediatric
Organizations, Sesame Workshop, United Way and others are so
committed to ensuring every child is counted in the census. A
decade is essentially a childhood," said Dr. Steven Dillingham, director of the Census
Bureau. "Children today deserve the best possible health, education
and community services. They can't count themselves — they're
counting on you to count them."
"FOPO's focus in 2019-2020 is to ensure all kids get counted in
the 2020 Census," said Dr. Judy
Aschner, chairperson, Federation of Pediatric Organizations.
"Children zero to four are at the greatest risk of being
undercounted, and many, many programs that support families, young
children and communities depend upon an accurate count. A child
undercount is a threat to pediatric research and the health and
well-being of children."
An accurate count of all children is critical for families,
educators and their communities — and it's important to count young
children now so they have the resources they need for the next 10
years. The Census Bureau has formed partnerships with national and
local organizations across the country in an effort to address the
undercount of young children. In early March, the Census Bureau
will launch a direct mail campaign reaching millions of households
in areas at risk for undercounting children to emphasize the
importance of counting everyone in the 2020 Census.
"It is vital every person is counted in the Census to ensure our
community has the funds necessary to address the needs of the
children and families who live in our city, and this is why United
Way is committed to partnering to get the word out," said
Augie Napoli, president and CEO of
United Way of Greater Cleveland.
"One out of every two children in Cleveland now live in the worst poverty in the
nation which is why it is essential they have access to the many
programs — from educational and healthcare to food and nutrition —
a fair and accurate census affords."
"What strikes us is the great irony that children who stand to
benefit the most from an accurate census count are the ones most
likely to go uncounted," said Tracy
Garrett, assistant vice president of Government Affairs,
Sesame Workshop. "We're honored to work with the United States
Census Bureau and alongside organizations like the United Way, the
Federation of Pediatric Organizations, the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the Ad Council, and so many others at local and state
levels across the country to reverse that equation and to do all we
can together to make sure every child counts."
In 2013, the Census Bureau assembled a task force to study the
undercount of young children in the decennial census. In 2014, the
Census Bureau released a report from the task force that summarized
the results of its research and recommended more work to improve
our understanding of the possible causes. Since then, the Census
Bureau has been reviewing existing data sources that might provide
insights into the circumstances that lead to young children being
missed in censuses or surveys.
"Including young children in the 2020 Census is vitally
important for them and for their communities because population
statistics are used by lawmakers to determine how to spend billions
of dollars in funds every year," said Karen
Deaver, who leads Census Bureau efforts to reduce the
undercount of young children. "Child-focused programs like
nutrition assistance, Head Start and the Children's Health
Insurance Program rely on accurate data about where young children
live to provide foundational services for children."
There are many reasons why children are undercounted. Since
there is no single cause for the undercount of young children,
there is no single solution to the problem. However, the Census
Bureau is pursuing multiple strategies to ensure the count of young
children is as complete as possible, including:
- Developing partnership materials explaining why young children
are undercounted and how to educate households likely to exclude
young children.
- Developing support materials that include messaging on the
importance of counting young children.
- Developing advertising aimed at households with young
children.
- Establishing partnerships with advocacy and community groups
who can get the word out about the importance of counting all
children in the household.
In addition, the Census Bureau added language to the
questionnaire to emphasize including children on their census with
specific instructions to include unrelated children, foster
children and grandchildren, and has improved census taker training
materials to emphasize the importance of including children during
interviews with nonresponding households. Everyone has the
opportunity to shape the future of children they know. Start by
counting every child in the 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 not 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.
Today's event, which was geared toward young children and their
families, featured Sesame Street characters Rosita and The Count;
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, who hosted story time; and coloring
pages from Molly of Denali. Census Bureau officials and key
partners explained why it's important to participate in the census
and about the importance of counting everyone, including all young
children, in their households. Event participants were encouraged
to spread that message in their communities.
The event also highlighted the Census Bureau's Statistics in
Schools program that encourages teachers and adults to teach
students why it is important to respond to the census. The program
provides materials to teachers of all grades, including free
activities, storybooks and even a song. The Census Bureau has
sent every superintendent and principal across the country a
toolkit to help raise awareness about the role the census plays in
shaping students' futures and those of their communities.
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every
10 years. The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone who
lives in the United States as of
April 1, 2020 (Census Day). Census
statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state
holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs how billions
of dollars in federal funds will be allocated by state, local and
federal lawmakers annually for the next 10 years. Beginning
March 12, households will be able to
respond online, by phone or by mail.
2020census.gov
census.gov
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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau