Join First Focus Campaign for Children, the Coalition on Human Needs, and the National League of Cities for an important congressional briefing on the critical role census data plays in allocating federal funding for programs that support children and families. As part of Children’s Week 2026, the briefing will explore why young children remain the age group most likely to be missed in the Census, the consequences of an undercount, and the steps Congress can take now to improve the accuracy of the 2030 Census.
Alarmingly, the Census Bureau found that approximately 1 million children, aged 0–4, were missed in the 2020 Census — an undercount rate of 5.46%, the highest of any age group. This persistent undercount has significant consequences because census data determines congressional representation and guides the distribution of trillions of dollars in federal funding that supports children and families. When children go uncounted, their communities lose access to federal dollars for the very programs designed to support them including health care, nutrition, child care, and child welfare assistance.
