Sesame Street begins airing ads saying ‘kids count’ in the census

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, is airing ads to ensure that kids are counted in the 2020 census, the TV show announced Monday. 

The ads attempt to combat the fact that children under 5 years old were the most undercounted group in the 2010 census and that they have been “dramatically undercounted” for 40 years. The public service announcements encourage parents of young children to participate in the census. It will air in English and Spanish starting Monday, Sesame Workshop said in a release. 

In the ad, Count von Count acts as a census taker and explains how the census, his “favorite time of the decade,” works to Elmo, Rosita and her mom, Rosa.

When Rosita asks the Count what the census is, he responds, “Oh, it is a special time when we count each person in every home in all the homes across the country.”

Elmo then asks the Count, “Do kids count?” 

The Count responds, “Of course. Everyone in your home counts, especially little kids and babies.”

“Counting everyone in your home helps support your neighborhood for the next 10 years funding things like schools, hospitals and buses,” the Count said in the ad.

Make your family count! Everyone’s favorite furry friends are here with an important message about counting babies and children as part of the #2020Census! Learn more: https://t.co/5LEJrnqgGs pic.twitter.com/R9adK3Zz9S

— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) March 9, 2020

Sesame Street has been involved in the census count, which begins for most people Thursday, since 1980 when Maria was a census taker for the neighborhood. This year, Sesame Workshop is offering flyers and other information on its website to be downloaded and sent out.

“As an organization trusted by parents and caregivers, Sesame Workshop is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that every child is counted in this year’s census,” Sesame Workshop President and CEO Jeffrey Dunn said. “This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to help level the playing field and improve the collective well-being of our nation’s children.”

About 4.6 percent of children under 5 five years old weren’t counted in the previous census, according to The Associated Press.

The Muppets were selected for the ad deliberately, Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact, told the AP. 

“Rosita is a bilingual Muppet. Elmo is popular and connected to young children and families, and the Count is so logical when it comes to being counted,” she said.

After President Trump’s administration proposed adding a citizenship question to the census, there have been concerns that there will be a lower response rate among the Hispanic population. That question was shot down by the Supreme Court last year.

In the ad, Rosa assures viewers that the census is “totally private.”