ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The head of the U.S. Census Bureau was in St. Louis to launch a new program aimed at achieving greater participation in the 2010 census.
Census Bureau Director Robert Groves was at a St. Louis school on Tuesday, joined by Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, and other officials.
They kicked off the Census in the Schools program for Missouri. It's designed to get young people to motivate their families to participate in the 2010 census.
The program, "2010 Census: It's About Us," provides free, optional lesson plans about the census. It's designed for students from kindergarten through high school.
Clay is chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the census.
Much is at stake in the 2010 count, including the potential loss of a Missouri congressional seat.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said the city could lose federal funding if residents don't complete and submit their census forms. The forms arrive in homes the week of March 15, 2010.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
