Embracing a Healthy Family: Census: Numbers Do Matter & Deadline is Tomorrow 4/16

The final day for people to mail in their completed Census form is tomorrow, Friday the 16^th. What happens if they do not remember to send it in? It ends up costing the tax-payers more money to complete the Census process. Here are the messages we’d like to get out to parents (please feel free to use the attached graphic):

o For every 1 percent increase in the national participation rate by mail, the Census Bureau saves taxpayers $85 million by not having to send census takers door to door to households that failed to return the census form. If every household mailed back its 2010 Census form, taxpayers could reduce the cost of taking the census and save $1.5 billion.

o It costs the government just 42 cents for a postage paid envelope when a household mails back the form but costs on average about $57 per household to send a census taker.

o April 16^th is the last day to return your Census form!

Interested in learning more? Check out these other resources:

Here is some additional information that explains the importance of capturing all your information to include every child:

Every child loves a good game of hide and seek. There are the fun butterflies they get in their tummies when they're waiting to be discovered and the pride they feel when they're able to count to ten and then yelling, "Ready or not, here I come!"

But children who are hidden from the U.S. Census counts (taken only once every 10 years) are not a laughing matter. So, ready or not, here comes 2010 Census ... and you have an important role to play!

Many parents may not realize the importance of accurately reporting the number of children in their family, including newborns. The truth is that the undercount of children means that we do not get a true picture of our nation and our communities do not get their rightful share of public funds.

Why Children Count Too

Children have been undercounted in every census since the first one in 1790. Local communities rely on census information in planning for schools, child care, health and other critical services. Babies need to be counted today, so they can benefit tomorrow from community services.

Census counts are used, in whole or in part, for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion of federal funds to states and localities, including such child-focused programs as:

Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
Head Start ($6.9 billion)
State Children's Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted in the Census, children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed in the Census. In fact, in the 2000 Census, there was a net undercount of more than 1 million children under age 10.

Also, featuring Dora the Explorer, the popular children's cartoon character, the Census Bureau has teamed up with Nickelodeon to create a toolkit with resources to help you spread the word to your readers or community. Please visit http://2010.census.gov/partners/toolkits/toolkits-dora.php to download the children's fact sheet and web buttons.

Global Influence is working with 2010 Census to help spread this important message. We need your help to make sure that every child is reported so they can receive the services they will need in the future.

When playing hide and seek your children have the opportunity to be found after ten seconds.

The Census only comes around every ten years so make sure you sent your Census form back in and include all your children!