Everyone Counts
The Census determines how much funding and services Oklahoma schools receive each year for the next decade for special education, Head Start, after-school programs, classroom technology and meal programs.
The Census determines political representation, including school board seat boundaries for school districts with board member wards or districts.
Children are among the most undercounted on the Census:
- Children living in multi-family, rental & single parent households
- Children living below the poverty level
- Latinx children and children of color
- Children living with adults who are unemployed or didn’t graduate high school
What Schools Can Do
- Send a parent/guardian letter about the importance of the Census.
- Provide an op-ed or news release to local media outlets about the importance of the Census.
- Make computers and internet access available to families to complete the first-ever Census that can be completed online March-June 2020.
- Partner with local parent-teacher associations to stress the importance of the census. Information can be distributed at meetings and other events.
- Provide interpreters for families in need of language assistance when completing the form. Share information that the online form and telephone line will be available in 13 languages, and language guides will be available in 59 languages other than English: 2020census.gov/en/languages.
- Teach about the importance of the census. Resources here: Census: Statistics in Schools
Timeline: Key Census Dates
March 2020: Households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail and can begin responding to the 2020 census online at 2020census.gov. Replying by mail or phone is also an option.
April 1, 2020: National Official Census Day. By this date, every home will receive an invitation to participate in the Census. Respondents will tell the Census Bureau where you live as of April 1, 2020.
May-September 2020: Non-response follow-up: Census takers go door-to-door to count people who have not responded to the 2020 Census. Census takers are Census Bureau employees and will provide proof that they are official government personnel. Residents can still respond by mail, by phone or online.
Dec. 31, 2020: The U.S. Census Bureau delivers the population count and the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives by state to the president.
2021: Initial 2020 Census data made available to the public on census.gov.
