When Petite Clothilde helps us make sense of data, so we all notice young children more.
- Frédérique and the Wooden Fellows
What would it take for everyone to notice young children and become genuinely curious about them? People who interact with young children daily, as family member or through work, but also people who may not have children in their close circle? Anyone, most likely, has opportunities to spot younglings at the grocery store, on the street, etc, and hence, become intrigued by their ways of acting. Too often, though, young children go unnoticed or are expected to be invisible in our busy world. So, what would it take for young children to become more visible?
Today, Petite Clothilde and I are continuing our mission to raise curiosity towards young children, by playing with census data about young children.
Cultivating curiosity about young children, engaging with them, and entering their fascinating thinking is a journey we encourage everyone to take. But how many young children are we talking about?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 23.5 million children under five lived in the U.S. in 2023—about 7% of the total population. Of these, 11.6 million were under three years old, and 11.9 million were between the ages of three and five. While these numbers illustrate the scale, in a society where narratives are often driven by data, they can mask the uniqueness of each child. So, how can we make sense of these numbers in a way that encourages everyone to notice and appreciate the richness of young children’s lives?
23.5 million children five and under, giggling around town
23.5 million children would be the population of the eight most populated cities in the US – New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and San Diego– all combined. How fun would it be to have those children under five all running around, giggling, and taking over those cities for a few hours! Would people start noticing them more? That would also be the population of Florida. Of the entire state of Florida.
11.9 million children three to five, ready to be published for years to come
Imagine 11.9 million artists, engaging with finger paints, food paint, drawing, etc. If each of those young artists made a unique piece of art, we could make 373,213 picturebooks of 32 pages. As a comparison, if you search “new picture books 2024” search, you get about 3,000 hits. In other words, we could supply picturebooks, elevating young children’s uniqueness for over 100 years! Would people become more curious about them?
A line of 11.6 million children under 3, shaking a rattle
If 11.6 million children under 3 would all line up, either crawling, toddling, or walking, the line would go over 6,600 miles. As a comparison, the distance from New City to Los Angeles is over 2,700 miles. If they all shake a rattle, would people hear them more?
With those perspectives in place, imagine them all— whether they are taking over Florida, creating art or lining up–with their uniqueness, their wide range of hair, eyes, skin color, height and body shape, abilities and disabilities, etc.
Now imagine them in 10 years, as they reach middle school or high school, then in 20 years, as they become young adults, forming a new generation we will ultimately all count on.
In a glimpse, off they go.
A smile to boost their confidence, a question to stimulate their thinking, a word to advocate for them, we can all be part of the well-being of young children by noticing them more, and, hence, contribute to a more caring future for all.
Data sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 1-Year Estimate, Table K200102, Table S0101
- Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in the United States: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 (SUB-IP-EST2023-POP). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Release Date: May 2024