    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    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

    [[Page 5368]]

    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 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--

    [[Page 5369]]

    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.
    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.
    DONALD J. TRUMP