Children are counting on you to count them in the 2020 census. Just like schools take attendance every day, the United States takes attendance every 10 years.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urges families to count everyone living in their home on Census Day, April 1, and fill out a census form.
Census 2020 will help determine how much funding your community will need for schools, child care and after-school programs for the next 10 years. It also will help plan for future needs like housing, public transportation and medical care.
It is important that every child is counted. Children should be counted in the home where they live and sleep most of the time, even if their parents do not live there. Children who spend time in more than one home should be counted where they stay most often. If their time is evenly divided or you are not sure, count them where they are staying on April 1. If you are caring for a friend or family member’s child and the child does not have a permanent place to live, count the child if she is staying with you on April 1, even if it is only temporary.
Most college students should be counted at school even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every home will receive information about how to complete the census. It can be completed online, by mail or by phone. It won’t take long. The form asks for the age, gender, race and number of people living in the home. It doesn’t matter if you own your home, rent it or live there temporarily.
From May through July, census takers will go to homes to gather information from those who did not complete the census. Census takers must show a valid photo ID that includes a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark or a Census Bureau logo.
All census information is kept confidential and anonymous. It is against the law for the Census Bureau to share your private information with landlords, law enforcement agencies, government agencies or courts.
You should not answer any questions about citizenship. You should not give a social security number, bank information or pay money to anyone.
If you did not receive census information in March, you still can complete it online. Visit www.2020census.gov for details. Find information for Spanish-speaking families at http://bit.ly/AAPel-censo2020.
