We know that children are woefully underrepresented when it comes to Census recording. Over 25,000 children were estimated to not have been counted in the 2010 census in Pennsylvania. OCDEL is asking Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals to make a concerted effort to explain to families how important it is to include their entire household when reporting.
The information gathered during the Census determines how many representatives each state has in congress and potential funding for important programs like:
- Subsidized Child Care
- WIC
- Head Start
- CHIP
- National School Lunch Program
- and more!
ECE professionals and programs work hard to build genuine, trusting relationships with their families and families trust these professionals to keep their children safe.
For many families, a child care site might be one of the only place outside their home where they feel safe and secure. This relationship puts every ECE professional in a unique position to help families understand how participating in the census can help their child, their family and their community in the long run.
OCDEL is working closely with stakeholders and advocates to help equip ECE professionals with the tools needed to make families feel comfortable and safe in completing 2020 Census forms.
The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) will host a 2020 Census information webinar,
Making the Census Count for all PA Kids!
,
as part of their Webinar Wednesday Series on March 11
from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. In this short, free webinar, find out what ECE professionals can do to help encourage families in ECE programs to participate in the 2020 Census.
Click here to register for the March 11 webinar.
