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Jul 01, 2020
Census Summer is Here!
Get involved & help ensure the 0-5 population is counted
The Urban Institute estimates that as many as 792,000 California residents may be undercounted in 2020. In the 2010 Census, children aged 0-5 were the most underrepresented population. Families and communities most likely to be left out of the count are once again at risk of losing critical resources that are allocated based on the 2020 Census. This makes completing the count a crucial task of child care providers.
As of June 30, California’s response rate is 62.9% and the National response rate is close behind at 61.8%. However, within California there is a large spectrum of response rates with some counties reporting as low as 17%. These counties also fall in Hard To Count Tracts which report that most common reason for low response rates is limited access to broadband subscription. So how do we overcome this digital divide?
This has become more difficult in the wake of COVID 19, limiting in-person resources. So, this week, the U.S. Census Bureau has started two new mailing efforts to target these areas. Postcards will be delivered to P.O Boxes between June 24 and July 3. Households that have not completed the Census will also receive postcards by July 28.
How can YOU, a trusted messenger, ensure that all families and children are counted in the 2020 Census? Can you share Census materials at a diaper or food distributions? If your agency is opening up for summer programs, you can incorporate Census activities in your lesson plans. Home visitors can talk to their families about what’s at stake, and the importance of each person being counted. We have lots of fun and free resources to spark your imagination on our Census page. Click here to check them out!
The Community Action Partnership also has a great toolkit here.
As always if you have any questions about the Census or how to complete the count in your community please reach out to Elizabeth at elizabeth@headstartca.org or Jamie at jamie@headstartca.org to talk about getting started!
