Grandparents Day is Sunday, September 8. This holiday is a great opportunity to raise grandparents’ awareness that they should include in their Census form the young children living in their household. Many young children living with their grandparents were not counted in the 2010 Census. In preparation for Grandparents Day, Count All Kids has released a blog and developed this social media toolkit. Specific state data is provided at the bottom of the toolkit.
In 2010, the Decennial Census missed over two million young children under age five. Census data is used to allocate over $800 billion a year in federal funding, by formula, to states and communities. When we miss young children in the Census, their states and communities lose funding for 10 years for the programs that help children thrive, like schools, child care, children’s health insurance, housing, and public transportation. Ten years is most of their childhood.
The next Decennial Census will start in March 2020. We need to count all young children to help them thrive. We know most young children are missed when they are left off the Census form in a household that is counted.
Young children are more likely to be left off the Census form if they are living in the household of a grandparent. Over 2 million young children live in their grandparents’ homes, so making sure grandparents know to include these children in their Census form can help improve the count of young children.
