The view from the Idea Center

You’ve heard that old proverb, “ children should be seen and not heard”? Some guardians took this admonition even further during the 2010 U.S. Census. They didn’t identify the children living in their households,  leading to an undercount of about 1 million little ones under the age of 5.
 
It’s a “persistent problem,” the U.S. Census Bureau says, one that has grown through the decades as  the structure of the American family has grown  more complex.
 
The “household,” that basic building block of the nation’s population count,  no longer correlates closely with the nuclear family of mom, dad and child. Children are living with grandparents, family friends or foster parents. In addition, “families are often spread over multiple households or multiple families may be living in one household,” census researchers said.
 
“There are cases where people deliberately feel the need to potentially conceal,”  the Census Bureau’s Karen Deaver told ideastream’s Nick Castele. “Maybe they’re in senior housing. Maybe there’s more people living there than the lease allows.” Officials stress questionnaire responses are confidential by law.
 
This year, the 2020 U.S. Census specifically asks the head of the household filling out the form to include any children living there, even if they’re unrelated. Officials stress the census is based on  where a person is living at the time of the count, regardless of how temporary or provisional that housing situation may be.
 
So much is based on the findings of the census, including money for Head Start and other programs for families and kids. When it comes to our once-every-decade population count, children who are tallied will be seen  and heard, in significant ways that make it worth ignoring a fusty old proverb.
 

See you on the radio next week,
Amy Eddings

Need to KnOH

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Your ideas

Yesterday, we asked for your Fat Tuesday party plans (and what Lenten austerity measures you're starting today). Leesa Priah was definitely letting the good times roll! "I had 3 different flavors of paczki's today, gumbo for lunch and cocktails after work. I'll get back on the health wagon tomorrow because today is a wash," she wrote on Public Square, ideastream's Facebook group. And instead of a more traditional sacrifice, Public Square member Penny Jeffrey plans "to do something kind every day instead of giving something up."

Today we're making mental music maps thanks to a compelling story from ideastream's Dan Polletta. Ethnomusicologist David Blake is using GPS data to create (unexpected) maps of Northeast Ohio’s musical venues and history. With his research, he’s hoping to answer the question: Does music in Cleveland build bridges or borders or a combination of the two?

What are some unexpected places you hear – or used to hear – great music in and around Cleveland? Call us at  (216) 916-6476, comment on our Facebook page or join the conversation in Public Square. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.