National Child's Day, 2011

Proclamation 8758 of November 18, 2011

National Child's Day, 2011

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As a Nation, we carry a fundamental responsibility to
unlock the potential within every child. To prepare our
children for the 21st century, we must continue to make
investments in their health, development, and learning
that will be lasting cornerstones of their success.
Today, we celebrate our sons and daughters, and we
recommit to giving them the future they deserve.

My Administration is committed to providing our
children with the care and support that will give them
a strong, healthy start. To help ensure all children
have access to nutritious meals and encourage healthy
choices early in life, I signed the Healthy, Hunger-
Free Kids Act last year. We also launched MyPlate, a
new food icon that can guide children and adults alike
on healthy portions as they choose their next meal.
These efforts go hand-in-hand with First Lady Michelle
Obama's Let's Move! initiative, which is dedicated to
solving the problem of childhood obesity within a
generation. This year, over 1,250 schools took action
to meet rigorous nutrition standards and expand
opportunities for physical activity as part of our
HealthierUS School Challenge, and 1.7 million Americans
achieved the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. By
empowering children and their caregivers with the tools
they need to eat well and lead active lifestyles, we
take steps to instill healthy habits that will last
into adulthood.

To build a more prosperous future for our children, we
must equip them with a world-class education. My
Administration is advancing educational opportunities
for students of all ages, from early learning programs
that start our children down the right path, to Pell
Grants that open higher education to more Americans. In
communities across our Nation, parents, teachers,
principals, and school boards are coming together to
develop stronger educational standards that will reward
progress and accelerate student achievements. As we
work to ensure every classroom is a safe, supportive
place where students can cultivate a love of learning,
we advance our goal of putting an outstanding education
within reach for every child.

On National Child's Day, we remember that the promise
of a brighter tomorrow is fulfilled by what we do for
our children today. As Americans, all of us share in
the responsibility to do our utmost to give our
children the love, safety, and protection that will
nourish their development as healthy and productive
individuals. Let us kindle in them the hunger for
knowledge, the courage to follow their dreams, and the
spirit to pursue possibility wherever it may lead.

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, 2011, 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
eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.