With Census Day approaching, The Livingston County Complete Count Committee is reminding residents to count their kids, for it can have big impact on schools.

Census Day is Wednesday, April 1st, but many Livingston County residents have already started receiving information on how to participate and are eligible to. When taking it, the local Complete Count Committee is asking parents to remember to count their children, particularly those ages 0 to 5, as they often go uncounted. Undercounting the area’s children can have a negative impact special education programs, Head Start, and Title I funding for Livingston County schools. Complete Count Committee Chairman Doug Helzerman says the federal government will use these census numbers for a decade to base how much money comes to the state, and then down to the local level. He said the government distributes roughly $675-billion annually, figuring out to about $18,000 per resident over 10 years. That money is lost for every uncounted resident.

All residents information, including children’s, is safe, secure and protected by the law. Helzerman said that in the 2010 Census, Livingston County was under 90% counted. Handy Township Supervisor Ed Alverson told WHMI previously that an accurate count can not only help a local government maintain their budget, but possibly increase it without a millage, benefitting everyone in the community.

For more information on the 2020 Census, visit www.livgov.com, and click on the Census banner.