Professional Development UpdateJanuary 9, 2020What's in this update
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Thank you for your service!
Toolkit resources
We need your help to make sure every kid counts in the 2020 Census!
Making sure every kid counts in the 2020 Census is one of the most important things we can do for our kids and our communities. People working with young children have a vital role to play.
When kids aren’t counted in the census, it hurts our communities and reduces funding for important programs that help our kids and families. Colorado’s 2020 Census data will be used to allocate billions of dollars in federal funding for programs like child care assistance, Head Start, foster care and WIC. In one year alone, Colorado received $2 billion in federal funding for kids’ programs based on our census population counts. If young kids aren’t counted in 2020, our communities won’t receive their fair share of this funding for the next decade.
Families will be able to respond to the 2020 Census beginning in March 2020. Child care providers and others working with young children are trusted messengers that can help them understand how important census participation is. Here are some things you can do now to help make sure every child in your community counts in 2020:
- Talk to parents and families about the importance of counting all children in their household in the census. Let them know that funding for child care assistance, Head Start, Medicaid and other programs relies on counting kids in the census. See the next page for links to resources you can use to educate yourself and the families you serve about the census.
- Use social media to spread the word about the census. See the sample social media posts on pages 5 through 8 in this toolkit for post ideas. You can also follow and re-post census material from:
- The U.S. Census Bureau: @uscensusbureau on Twitter and Instagram and facebook.com/USCensusBureau on Facebook
- Count All Kids: @CountAllKids on Twitter and facebook.com/CountAllKids on Facebook
- Use the Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools early childhood materials in English or Spanish. Find classroom activity ideas, a 2020 Census coloring book and even a 2020 Census song!
- Send census information home with kids or hang 2020 Census flyers where parents will see them. See the next page for links to materials you can use.
- Let families know the information they provide through the census is safe and cannot be shared with anyone, including other federal government agencies. Any current or former Census Bureau employee that releases individual data can go to prison for five years or pay a fine of $250,000.
Stay tuned for more ways YOU can help make sure every kid counts leading up to the census.
Census 2020 website resources
CASB Connections podcasts are a great way to continue your professional learning throughout the year
A new year, a new opportunity to stay current on education policy, advocacy, and more! CASB has made it easy to plug into professional development anytime, anywhere. It's available for free; just install an app on your phone and download the shows you want to hear. You can listen to the podcasts on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Topics include:
- Advocacy
- Policy
- School board candidates
- Rural
- Voices of education in Colorado
Interested in a topic not yet covered? Reach out and let us know!
CASB Connections
2020 legislative session is now underway and it's time to sign up for CASB Days at the Capitol
Start your engines! The 120 days that the legislature is in session is officially underway. It's the perfect time to advocate on behalf of students and schools. An easy way to get started is to sign up for one of CASB's Days at the Capitol.
During our Days at the Capitol board member attendees observe the House and Senate from the floor and watch legislators in action at the education committee meetings. Spending a day at the Capitol is a great opportunity to build relationships with legislators—meeting them face-to-face, inviting them to lunch or a school board meeting, or speaking with them about YOUR district’s successes, needs or concerns.