Federal Education Programs Rely Heavily On Funding Backed By Census Data

What's at stake for Southern California in the 2020 Census? Along with political power and representation, billions of dollars in federal funding for programs that pay for everything from highway planning to healh care and housing. In the coming weeks, we'll be taking a closer look at specific federal programs whose funding is directly is informed by the data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau.

MORE: Census Explained: Why The Census Matters In LA

A CLOSER LOOK AT CENSUS 2020'S IMPACT ON EDUCATION

This week, we'll examine programs and services for students -- from K-12 to college -- impacted by the census.

An undercount could cut critical resources which help make education affordable and accessible to students across the region and in L.A. County, home to the largest hard-to-count population in the nation. One local community college student says a Pell Grant helped make a college education "possible," an important next step in getting her life back on track.

READ: Pell Grants -- And Census 2020 -- Make College Accessible And Affordable For One Community College Student (And Millions Like Her)

School districts many have closed campuses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they're still feeding hungry, low-income kids with assistance from meal programs subsidized by the government and funded based on census data.

READ: Schools Are Closed, But School Districts Are Still Feeding Students In Need -- With Help From The Census

What's at stake for Southern California in the 2020 Census? Billions of dollars in federal funding for programs like Medi-Cal, for public education, even disaster planning. Political representation in Sacramento and D.C. A census undercount could cut critical resources in L.A. County, home to the largest hard-to-count population in the nation.