Don't forget!!!! All Newborns are Counted!

 For the Census:  A newborn should be counted if he or she was born on or before April 1, 2020.

In the 2010 Census, nearly 1 million children (4.6% of children under the age of 5) were not counted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In fact, children under age 5 are one of the largest groups of undercounted people in the United States.

Counting young children will be vitally important in the 2020 Census because population statistics are used by local, state, and federal lawmakers to determine how to spend billions of dollars in federal and state funds annually over the next 10 years.

Much of that money funds programs that directly affect children. They include nutrition assistance, Head Start, special education, foster care, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and housing assistance to help a child’s family.

Because census results help determine where federal funds are distributed for programs that are important for children, an accurate count can shape a child’s future for the next decade and beyond.

It’s important to count young children now so that they have the resources they need as they grow up. It all begins with responding to the 2020 Census.

“Missing children in the census affects the community for the next 10 years. We want the programs that help support the foundations children need to be available during their formative years,” Austin said.

If parents ask----if the infant was born on or prior to April 1st--that baby counts.