National Child's Day, 2015

Proclamation 9370 of November 19, 2015

National Child's Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our greatest obligation is to our daughters and sons.
With unbound imagination and limitless dreams, today's
young Americans will carry forward our country's legacy
and shape the contours of the 21st century and beyond.
On National Child's Day, we reaffirm our support for
them in all they do, and we uphold our commitment to
enabling them with the tools and resources necessary to
write the next great chapter of our Nation's story.

All young people deserve to lead safe, healthy lives,
and my Administration is working to ensure their well-
being. The Affordable Care Act now requires that basic
pediatric services, including oral and vision care for
children, be covered under all new Health Insurance
Marketplace plans. The law also prohibits insurers from
excluding coverage of children due to preexisting
health conditions and it allows kids to stay on their
parents' health care plan until the age of 26. Ensuring
the health of our children is vital to their growth and
development, which is why First Lady Michelle Obama's
Let's Move! initiative is partnering with States, local
communities, schools, and the private sector to reduce
childhood obesity by promoting healthy foods and
encouraging physical activity. We must also continue
working to ensure our neighborhoods and classrooms are
free from violence and intimidation and instead filled
with chances to grow, dream, and discover. I remain
committed to equipping law enforcement officials with
the training and resources necessary to keep our
children safe while working to foster effective
relationships between them and the young citizens they
serve. And because climate change poses the gravest
threat to future generations, we have made combating it
a top national priority. We have doubled the pace at
which we cut our emissions, set aside more public lands
and waters than any Administration in history, and
worked to wean ourselves off of our addiction to
foreign oil.

Our children must have every opportunity to pursue
their greatest aspirations--regardless of their
background, their circumstances, or what zip code they
were born into. That is why I remain committed to
expanding access to high-quality early education for
our youngest learners, preparing them for school and
for life. Additionally, my Administration has outlined
a plan to strengthen and expand our Nation's child care
subsidy system to help every working family with young
children obtain access to affordable, quality care for
their kids--because child care is not just a side
issue, it is a national economic priority that provides
critical early learning support for students. We have
also proposed a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child,
per year to help middle-class families offset the costs
of child care. We are also making it easier for young
people to attend institutions of higher learning, and
we have taken steps to ensure they have access to more
reliable Federal financial assistance as they pursue
their degree.

Today, let us rededicate ourselves to upholding the
ideal that with hard work and dedication, America's
children can make of their lives what they will. By
supporting our youth and encouraging them to never give
up on their dreams, we can forge a brighter future for
them, their children and grandchildren, and all future
generations.

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 November 20, 2015, as
National Child's Day. I call upon all citizens to
observe this day with appropriate activities, programs,
and ceremonies, and to rededicate ourselves to creating
the bright future we want for our Nation's children.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.