[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. 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.

                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. 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. 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.

                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]
Billing code 3295-F1-P