[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 88 (Monday, May 7, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 26909-26910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11135]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 88 / Monday, May 7, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 26909]]


                Proclamation 8814 of May 2, 2012

                
National Foster Care Month, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Childhood is a time for our young people to grow and 
                learn, protected by their families and safe in their 
                homes. But for almost half a million children who are 
                unable to remain at home through no fault of their own, 
                childhood can be a time of sadness, pain, and 
                separation. These children need and deserve safe, 
                loving, and permanent families who can help restore 
                their sense of well-being and give them hope for the 
                future.

                During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the 
                promise of America's children and youth in foster care, 
                and we commend the devotion and selflessness of the 
                foster parents who step in to care for them. We also 
                pay tribute to the professionals nationwide who work to 
                improve the safety of our most vulnerable children and 
                assist their families in addressing the issues that 
                brought them into the child welfare system. In 
                communities across America, dedicated men and women--in 
                schools, faith-based and community organizations, 
                parent and advocacy groups--volunteer their time as 
                mentors, tutors, and advocates for children in foster 
                care. We all have a role to play in ensuring our 
                children and youth grow up with the rich opportunities 
                and support they need to reach their full potential.

                My Administration is committed to increasing positive 
                outcomes for every infant and child in foster care, and 
                to promoting a successful transition to adulthood for 
                older youth. We are working to increase permanency 
                through reunification, adoption, and guardianship; to 
                prevent maltreatment; to reduce rates of re-entry into 
                foster care; and to ensure all qualified caregivers 
                have the opportunity to serve as foster parents. 
                Through the Child and Family Services Improvement and 
                Innovation Act, we are granting States more flexibility 
                in supporting a range of services for children in 
                foster care, including health care and treatment of 
                emotional trauma. And through the Affordable Care Act, 
                beginning in 2014, every State will be required to 
                extend Medicaid coverage up to age 26 for former foster 
                youth.

                This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the 
                Children's Bureau, an agency within the Department of 
                Health and Human Services that carries forward a legacy 
                of protecting our Nation's children and strengthening 
                families through programs like the Permanency 
                Innovations Initiative. Over 5 years, this initiative 
                is investing $100 million in new strategies to identify 
                permanent homes for youth in long-term foster care, 
                including more than 100,000 children awaiting adoption, 
                and to reducing time spent in foster care placements.

                National Foster Care Month is a time to reflect on the 
                many ways government, social workers, foster families, 
                religious institutions, and others are helping improve 
                the lives of children in foster care, and it also 
                serves as a reminder that we cannot rest until every 
                child has a safe, loving, and permanent home. Together, 
                we give thanks to those individuals from all walks of 
                life who have opened their hearts and their homes to a 
                child, and we rededicate ourselves to ensuring a bright 
                and hopeful future for America's foster youth.

[[Page 26910]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 May 2012 as National 
                Foster Care Month. I encourage all Americans to observe 
                this month by dedicating their time, love, and 
                resources to helping youth in foster care, whether by 
                taking time to mentor, lending a hand to a foster 
                family, or taking an active role in their communities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of 
                America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2012-11135
Filed 5-4-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P