2010 Census: It’s About Us

Now is the time to encourage your community’s involvement in the 2010 Census. That’s because Michigan schools and communities stand to lose funding, as well as representation in Washington D.C., when census counts drop. After a decade of job loss and declining populations, Michigan needs to count everyone who lives and learns in our communities.

Key dates coming up:

Feb. - Mar. 2010	Census questionnaires are mailed or delivered to households.
April 1, 2010	Census Day
May - July 2010	Census takers visit households that did not return a questionnaire by mail.
December 2010	By law, Census Bureau delivers population counts to the President for apportionment.
March 2011	By law, Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states.

Each school district in America has been sent a set of 2010 Census: It’s About Us cross-curricular program materials to distribute to each principal in your district. If you have not yet made use of these free materials, you might consider pushing the message during March. And be sure to encourage staff and families to mail back their questionnaires.

The K–12 standards-specific curriculum initiative is offered free to schools nationwide by the U.S. Census Bureau. Please encourage principals and teachers to include 2010 Census: It’s About Us in their 2009–2010 lesson plans. The classroom-friendly lessons in the kit offer real-world data that reinforces curriculum goals, from map skills and community involvement to data literacy.

Apart from what it teaches students, the program is intended to:

• Help enlist students as vital census advocates
• Convey the importance of 100% census participation
• Allay concerns some parents or guardians may have about the census due to misinformation or language barriers
• Boost the effectiveness of the once-a-decade U.S. census for the benefit of individuals, schools, families, communities, and our nation

Teachers in your district’s schools will find lessons, worksheets, and a range of additional support materials online in convenient printable PDF files at www.census.gov/schools.

Count MI In!—10 questions. 10 minutes. 10 Years of Value. You can find more information specific to the Michigan census, including why it’s important, at www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29938_54239_54607---,00.html.