JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to the Early Learning Coalition of Duval County, children who start in early learning centers are more likely to graduate high school.
“Ninety percent of the child’s brain is developed in the first five years,” said Denise Marzullo, president of the coalition.
Part of the funding for these programs comes from the state, which decides how much money each county gets based on data collected during the census
But there's a problem.
“Birth to 5 is one of the most undercounted (categories) because people don’t think to count them in their census,” Marzullo said. “We know for every child that’s not counted, we lose out on $946 a year per child.”
Money that Marzullo said can be used to expand centers and give teachers more money. They currently make less than $10 an hour, she said.
Starting pay at Walmart is $11 an hour.
So how can you help? Fill out the Census -- and count every member of the household, even those 5 and younger.
Residents will first get a form in the mail in mid-March. On that mailer, most residents will get instructions to go online and fill out the questionnaire themselves. Others, in areas with fewer regular internet users, will get a full paper questionnaire in their first mailer instead.
The Census will ask for six pieces of information about each person for its count:
- Their age and date of birth.
- If they are of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin.
- Their race.
- Their relationship to other people in their household.
- Their sex.
- Whether their home is rented or owned by a resident.
Any household that hasn’t responded online will receive the paper questionnaire by mid-April.
By mid-May, Census takers will knock on the doors of households that still haven’t responded. That’s when you might see them in your neighborhood.