National Child's Day, 2024

Proclamation 10862 of November 19, 2024

National Child's Day, 2024

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This generation's young people are some of the most
gifted, educated, and talented our Nation has ever
known. They are the kite strings that keep our national
ambitions aloft. On National Child's Day, we recommit
to building a future worthy of their highest
aspirations.

So many of our Nation's children begin building their
futures at our public schools--that is why I am proud
that my Administration secured a historic $130 billion
in funding for our Nation's K-12 schools through my
American Rescue Plan. That law put more teachers in
classrooms and more counselors, social workers, and
other support staff in our schools. It also invested in
high-quality tutoring and made historic expansions in
summer and afterschool programs. My Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law is expanding access to high-speed
internet so students can access it regardless of their
zip code. And my Administration has worked to advance a
pathway to provide free, healthy school meals for all
children as a part of our national strategy to end
hunger and reduce diet-related diseases in America by
2030.

My Administration has also worked hard to give families
some well-deserved breathing room so that they can care
for their children without worrying about how they are
going to pay the bills. My American Rescue Plan
expanded the Child Tax Credit, which helped reduce
child poverty by nearly half across the Nation. That
law also made our Nation's biggest investment in child
care ever, helping hundreds of thousands of child care
providers keep their doors open and continue providing
care. I signed the Inflation Reduction Act, saving
millions of families $800 per year on their health
insurance premiums. My Administration also raised pay
for early childhood educators across the country
participating in the Head Start program. And my
Administration modernized the Thrifty Food Plan for the
first time in nearly five decades so that millions more
families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program benefits can afford nutritious foods.

Securing the health and safety of children has always
been a priority for my Administration. I signed the
most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years,
working towards a future where no student or child has
to live in fear of gun violence. That law also made the
largest investment in youth mental health ever to help
schools across the country train and hire new mental
health counselors. At the same time, we made it easier
for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver health
care. And we are working to support LGBTQI+ children
and families by protecting their access to health care
and preventing harmful practices, including the use of
so-called conversion therapy.

My Administration has also been dedicated to addressing
the existential threat of climate change--a critical
task to secure our children's futures. My Inflation
Reduction Act made the most significant investment in
climate ever, which includes funding to get communities
cleaner air and drinking water, and protect them from
the harmful effects of pollution. My Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law is working to replace every lead
pipe in America, so that every family can turn on the
faucet and drink clean, safe water. And my
Administration has conserved more than 45 million acres
of our Nation's

lands and waters in an effort to ensure they can be
enjoyed for generations to come.

On National Child's Day, we recommit to ensuring that
every child in America has the opportunity to pursue
the limits of their talents and ambitions, and we
uplift them as the leaders and doers of the future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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,
2024, as National Child's Day. I call upon all
government officials, educators, volunteers, and all
the people of the United States of America to observe
this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities.

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