Count All Kids

04/01/2026

Members of the Count All Kids Campaign have been pressing the Census Bureau for years to test new strategies for counting young children because what the Bureau have been doing over the past 40 years is not working. We believe that if they keep doing what they have been doing, the problem will just get worse. Read more:

For years, the Count All Kids Campaign has been lifting up the need to test new strategies for counting young children. The Census Bureau’s own data shows that the count of young children has been getting steadily worse since 1980 even as the count of adults has improved. Dr. William O’Hare’s ...

03/31/2026

Today we published a brief that compares the undercount of young children in US counties with 20 factors that might contribute to such undercounts, to see which factors correlate with the undercount. Read it here: https://countallkids.org/resources/correlates-of-county-level-young-child-coverage-rates-in-the-2020-census/

While no single factor stands out as having a very high relationship with the young child undercount, there are many factors that have at least a moderate correlation with young child undercount rates. The only factor that seems to be statistically significant in the same way for both total population and young children is the percentage of adults with less than a high school degree, which suggests that improving efforts to reach households with low literacy could improve the count of both the total population and young children.

Because the Census operational plans take years to develop, the Census Bureau needs to assess substantial and innovative methods for accurately counting young children soon in order to embed successful approaches into the 2030 Census operations.

03/27/2026

Our latest blog shares a summary of recent happenings around the Census. The Census Bureau has dramatically changed their plan for the 2026 Census Test. We believe the new plan is profoundly flawed and will give meaningless and potentially misleading results.

Read the blog:

For years, the Count All Kids Campaign has been lifting up the need to test new strategies for counting young children. The Census Bureau’s own data shows that the count of young children has been getting steadily worse since 1980 even as the count of adults has improved. Dr. William O’Hare’s ...

03/27/2026

This week, we shared comments to the Census Bureau and the Independent Census Scientific Advisory Committee that call for reinstating the original Census Test plan in order to improve the count of young children.

Comments to the Census Bureau: https://countallkids.org/resources/comment-on-the-2026-census-test/
Comments to the ICSAC: https://countallkids.org/resources/coalition-on-human-needs-comments-to-the-independent-census-scientific-advisory-committee/

A number of child serving organizations submitted comments on the plan for the 2026 Census Test, which set forth how the test was originally expected to test new strategies for counting young children, and how the revised test omits all those new strategies. It asks the Bureau to conduct the tests a...

12/18/2025

While administrative records produce a count of young children consistent with other benchmark counts of young children as a whole, they offer puzzling inconsistencies when the data is decomposed by age, s*x, and race or ethnicity. Read more on our blog:

Introduction  In conducting the decennial census, the Census Bureau’s goal is to count every person “once, only once, and in the right place.” However, the Census Bureau has historically undercounted young children in the census at a high rate.[i] Notably, the 2020 Census recorded an undercou...

12/17/2025

Coalition on Human Needs submitted testimony on what we know about the undercount of young children and what states can do to ameliorate it to a Massachusetts Senate Hearing on undercounts and overcounts in the census on December 8, 2025. It may be a useful model for other legislative hearings in the states:

CHN submitted this testimony on what we know about the undercount of young children and what states can do to ameliorate it to a Massachusetts Senate Hearing on undercounts and overcounts in the census on December 8, 2025. It may be a useful model for other legislative hearings in the states. Photo....

12/11/2025

Our new blog examines how well the use of administrative records can improve the count of all young children in the U.S. Decennial Census.

Introduction  In conducting the decennial census, the Census Bureau’s goal is to count every person “once, only once, and in the right place.” However, the Census Bureau has historically undercounted young children in the census at a high rate.[i] Notably, the 2020 Census recorded an undercou...

11/05/2025

From the results of our latest report, we can conclude that more analysis of the 2020 Census Tracking survey is needed to find out which families are most likely to leave their young children off the count, and communications research is needed to find out what messages work best with which groups. Read more:

Several past studies have examined various socio-demographic data elements and their correlations with geographic variations in young child census coverage rates. This study extends that stream of research by examining the relationship between 30 potential explanatory variables and state net coverag...

10/28/2025

We just published a report from Dr. William P. O’Hare and Dr. Susana Quiros on the relationship between 30 variables and state net coverage rates for young children in the 2020 Census in order to identify which young children are most likely to be missed in the 2030 Census.

You can read and download the report here:

Several past studies have examined various socio-demographic data elements and their correlations with geographic variations in young child census coverage rates. This study extends that stream of research by examining the relationship between 30 potential explanatory variables and state net coverag...

08/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who registered and joined us for Preparing for Census 2030 -- Mobilizing Advocates for Impact! The recording and additional resources are linked on our website:

Dear Census Advocates, Thank you so much for joining us for Preparing for Census 2030—Mobilizing Advocates for Impact. You can find the recording here. Download the slides using the button on the right. If you want to learn whether there will be a funder meeting about supporting census work in you...

07/28/2025

TOMORROW: Preparing for Census 2030 -- Mobilizing Advocates for Impact

Today is the last day to register for a webinar focused on why the census is critical for children, what advocates should be doing now to improve the count of young children, and how to make the case for funding this work.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SCaOYLkoTXySKPGitgtFFg #/registration

07/22/2025

In exactly one week, Count All Kids will be hosting the webinar Preparing for Census 2030 -- Mobilizing Advocates for Impact!

Register now learn why the census matters for child wellbeing and what outreach already works to secure funding and participation: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SCaOYLkoTXySKPGitgtFFg #/registration