An accurate count in the 2020 Census is critical to ensuring Arkansas receives enough money for health care, education, roads and bridges, and other programs that children and families rely on. Our state receives nearly $10 billion in federal funding every year that is distributed based on guidelines derived from Census data. Just one Arkansan not counted in 2020 could result in our state getting some $33,000 less over a decade.
As child advocates, we need to make sure we #CountAllKids next year, to protect important programs for kids and families.
Children under 5 are one of the hardest-to-count populations in the Census. There are some major misconceptions out there about why that is. The most common misconception is that kids under 5 aren’t counted because they live in households that fail to complete the Census entirely. But the reality is that most of the children who were left out lived in households that did complete the Census. Many people are just confused about who should be included. Anyone living in your household on April 1st 2020, even if it is just temporarily, should be listed on your form. You can see a list of situations where children under the age of 5 are most likely not to be counted on the flyer here.
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