Child Health Day, 2020

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 196 (Thursday, October 8, 2020)]

[Presidential Documents]

[Pages 63973-63975]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2020-22507]

Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 196 / Thursday, October 8, 2020 /

Presidential Documents

[[Page 63973]]

Proclamation 10094 of October 3, 2020

Child Health Day, 2020

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Children are one of life's greatest blessings. They

bring boundless joy to families and enrich our

communities. On Child Health Day, we are reminded of

our solemn obligation to love and protect these

precious lives, and we recommit to helping America's

youth reach their full potential.

Our Nation is home to the greatest doctors and medical

professionals in the world, and yet, the health of too

many American children is compromised at the earliest

stages of life. To end this tragedy, my Administration

is taking action to empower doctors and families so

that children thrive at every stage of development. To

reduce the rate of infant death, we have invested more

than $100 million in the Healthy Start initiative,

which particularly targets minority communities. We

have also updated and improved clinical guidelines that

healthcare professionals use for prenatal checkups,

leading to safer births and healthier babies

reduce the rate of infant death, we have invested more

than $100 million in the Healthy Start initiative,

which particularly targets minority communities. We

have also updated and improved clinical guidelines that

healthcare professionals use for prenatal checkups,

leading to safer births and healthier babies. As

President, and as a father and grandfather, I will

continue to work to ensure that every American family

has the ability to raise healthy children, regardless

of their income, education, or racial or ethnic

background.

It is also vitally important to safeguard the mental,

spiritual, and physical health of our children as they

grow up. To this end, the First Lady launched her BE

BEST initiative in 2018, an effort that has promoted

whole-of-person wellness for children since its

inception. BE BEST encourages character development and

respect for others and provides education, awareness,

and coping skills to help youth navigate issues they

may face, including online safety and opioid and drug

misuse. The positive habits encouraged by the BE BEST

program have and will continue to develop future

leaders, strengthening our Nation and affecting

positive change in communities throughout the United

States.

help youth navigate issues they

may face, including online safety and opioid and drug

misuse. The positive habits encouraged by the BE BEST

program have and will continue to develop future

leaders, strengthening our Nation and affecting

positive change in communities throughout the United

States.

This year, we also celebrate 10 years of success in the

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting

(MIECHV) program, which helps prevent child neglect and

provides families with the tools they need to raise

children who are physically, socially, and emotionally

healthy. The First Lady and I recognize the importance

of creating a healthy environment in which to raise a

child, and my Administration will always support

children in need.

In recent months, we have also seen the effects of the

coronavirus on the health of our Nation's children.

While children are at a very low risk from the

coronavirus itself, lockdowns and school closures pose

significant risks to the health and wellbeing of our

young people. My Administration recognizes that

extended school closures cause students to fall behind

academically and can have devastating effects on the

long-term prospects for school-aged children. Many

children, especially those from low-income and minority

communities, rely on schools for resources that they do

not have access to when schools are closed. Schools

provide meals, counseling, physical activity, social

interaction, and other experiences that play a crucial

role in the development of our young people

children, especially those from low-income and minority

communities, rely on schools for resources that they do

not have access to when schools are closed. Schools

provide meals, counseling, physical activity, social

interaction, and other experiences that play a crucial

role in the development of our young people. For these

reasons, lockdowns and school closures can often pose a

greater risk to children than the coronavirus, and we

must take action to both empower parents and students

[[Page 63974]]

to take control of their education and equip teachers

to best ensure the wellbeing of their students.

In recognition of the vital role schools play in the

health of our Nation's children, my Administration has

taken aggressive action to help our schools open

safely. The bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and

Economic Security Act, which I signed into law in

March, designates $750 million--in addition to the

$10.6 billion already appropriated--in funding to the

Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which help

prepare low-income children for kindergarten.

Furthermore, we have provided school districts with $25

billion for personal protective equipment and other

resources to lower the risk of the spread of

coronavirus, and I have called on the Congress to

provide an additional $105 billion toward this effort.

We have also provided every State with revolutionary

point-of-care tests that deliver results in under 15

minutes

nal protective equipment and other

resources to lower the risk of the spread of

coronavirus, and I have called on the Congress to

provide an additional $105 billion toward this effort.

We have also provided every State with revolutionary

point-of-care tests that deliver results in under 15

minutes. In preparation for the imminent delivery of a

safe, effective coronavirus vaccine, last month I also

directed the Department of Health and Human Services to

issue guidance under the Public Readiness and Emergency

Preparedness Act which allows State-licensed pharmacy

professionals to administer vaccines to individuals

ages three and older. This action will greatly expand

vaccine access, especially among children, and will

expedite our ongoing recovery effort. As one Nation, we

will continue our push to safely reopen while also

protecting the most vulnerable among us.

Our Nation's children are the hope and promise of our

future. Parents, educators, clergy members, mentors,

and community volunteers all influence and shape the

lives of young people. On this Child Health Day, let us

renew our commitment to the vital role we all share in

raising, nurturing, protecting, empowering, and

encouraging America's youth so that they may enjoy

healthy, happy, and fulfilled lives.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18,

1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the

designation of the first Monday in October as Child

Health Day and has requested that the President issue a

proclamation in observance of this day.

y enjoy

healthy, happy, and fulfilled lives.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18,

1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the

designation of the first Monday in October as Child

Health Day and has requested that the President issue a

proclamation in observance of this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the

United States of America, by virtue of the authority

vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the

United States, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 5,

2020, as Child Health Day. I call upon families, child

health professionals, faith-based and community

organizations, and governments to help ensure that

America's children stay safe and healthy.

[[Page 63975]]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

third day of October, in the year of our Lord two

thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United

States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

(Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-22507

Filed 10-7-20; 11:15 am]

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