On August 26, 2009, COG hosted the regional Census in Schools kick-off event.  The Census in Schools program will provide educators with resources to teach students about the importance of the census so that children can help deliver this message to their families. The program provides educational materials for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. 

The event included remarks and discussion with coordinators from the U.S. Census Bureau and local school officials working on the Census in Schools program. Conveying the importance of an accurate and complete census count, especially to traditionally hard-to-count communities, is a primary goal of the Census in Schools program.