The U.S. Census Bureau and teachers today kicked off “Statistics in Schools Week: Everyone Counts!”—a nationwide initiative to encourage pre-K-12 educators to help their communities achieve a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. During the week of March 2-6, Ventura County educators are participating in the effort to teach their students about the importance of the 2020 Census. Census statistics help determine political representation and how billions of dollars in funds are distributed back to local communities based on census counts.
“Statistics in Schools Week: Everyone Counts! is a time for students across the country to learn together about the importance of counting everyone in the 2020 Census and have fun using data that reflect everyday life in the classroom,” said Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham. “Teachers play such an important role in shaping our children’s future and they can also help shape the future of their schools and communities for the next decade by using and sharing key information with their students to take home to parents and caregivers to encourage response.”
A Statistics in Schools (SIS) digital toolkit is available for teachers to use in their classrooms, including a roadmap of the week’s daily themes; a printable flyer for educators; a flyer for students to take home; and news releases, social media content and talking points to help administrators, principals and schools spread the word about their participation in Everyone Counts! Week. The toolkit includes resources that discuss topics such as the changing population of our nation and how the census affects congressional representation. At the end of the week, educators are encouraged to give students a 2020 Census take-home flyer. This flyer provides vital information for the adults in students’ homes about the importance of completing the census and including every person – especially young children and newborns– living in their household. The flyer is available in English and 12 additional languages to make it accessible to as many households as possible.
“Most households will receive their first invitation to respond to the census the second week of March and an accurate count means that all kids are counted,” Dillingham said. “It only happens once every 10 years, and we need everybody’s help to get an accurate count to help ensure federal funds and resources are spent where they are needed most for the next decade.”
“Here in Ventura, California, it’s crucial that we get an accurate count in the 2020 Census,” Vanessa Moreno, 2020 Census spokesperson said. “For our community, this is particularly important so our students have everything they need to succeed over the course of their education.”
The SIS program offers pre-K-12 educators free online activities, games and other resources to help them bring statistics into their classrooms. The new 2020 Census SIS materials are designed to be easily used in any classroom and include activities that students can do at home to spread the word about the importance of completing the 2020 Census and counting everyone in their household.
For more information on the Statistics in Schools program and the new 2020 Census materials, visit census.gov/schools.
*Participating educators include: Ventura County Office of Education, California State PTA, Ventura Library System, Ventura Unified School District, Ojai Unified School District, and Royal High School in Simi Valley.
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