Schools To Help U.S. Census Bureau Keep Count

The U.S. Census Bureau is turning to school children and volunteers to promote next year's official census count of the nation's population. Children at the Gateway Elementary School in St. Louis City participated Tuesday in a kick-off program with the U.S. Census Director Robert Groves and U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay (D) St. Louis.

Federal officials hope schools will use the voluntary curriculum to help students understand the purpose and value of the census. The numbers are used to determine how much federal money is distributed to states and communities. "The Census determines how more than four hundred billion federal dollars are spent every year," said Rep. Clay.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay who joined in the program told a class of first graders, "you all need to help us make sure that each and everyone of you is counted , that your teachers are counted that your parents and your uncles and your aunts are all counted as well."


Rep. Clay pointed out accurate population counts are critical to determining how many Congressional districts will exist in Missouri for the coming decade. He said the U.S. Constitution requires that everyone living in the country, whether they are here legally or not, be counted.

Barber shop owner Sam Morgan is volunteering as a community advocate promoting participation in the Census. "It's important to me because in 2001 after the 2000 census we lost the First Ward because of lack of participation in the census," he recalled. Morgan is reaching out to customers at his West Side Barber Shop on Wabada and working in the neighborhood through local churches and schools. "I'm very interested in development in the area and there's a lot of money that can be brought in if we go on and fill out these census forms," Morgan said.

Communities where it has been hard to get census forms returned in the past are being targeted with information this fall. The actual census forms won't be mailed until March. Morgan said some people won't even read the form because it is several pages long. "I'm trying to encourage them to know that this is only a small section to fill out," for each person he said. The form includes enough room to report up to twelve people in one household.

He is also reminding neighbors that the information will not be forwarded to police, FBI or other federal agencies. "You have a lot of people who have been in trouble with the law and feel if they fill this out they'll know exactly where they are but it's not true."