National Child's Day, 2012

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8907 of November 20, 2012

National Child's Day, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

All children deserve the chance to follow their
passions, chase their dreams, and pursue their fullest
measure of happiness. On National Child's Day, we
celebrate the innumerable ways our sons and daughters
have enriched our lives, and we rededicate ourselves to
helping them achieve excellence in everything they do.

America's success in the 21st century depends on our
ability to give our children the best education
possible. By providing the critical foundation for
academic achievement, parents, families, and community
groups play an essential part in fulfilling that
mission. To bolster their efforts, my Administration
has partnered with States and communities across our
country to build more pathways to opportunity for our
students. We launched Race to the Top, a national
competition to improve our schools that has helped
encourage nearly every State to raise education
standards. We have strengthened early childhood
education to help prevent achievement gaps before they
start. We have invested in math and science education,
redoubled efforts to turn around struggling schools,
and expanded financial aid to help make higher
education something every family can afford. And moving
forward, we will keep working to ensure all our
children have the skills they need to achieve their
highest ambitions.

In order to thrive in school and grow up strong, our
children need a healthy start in life that includes
nourishing meals and regular physical activity. Every
day, parents and guardians are taking up that important
task by making healthy choices for their kids. Schools
are finding innovative ways to provide nutritious food
for their students, and communities are coming together
to help young people lead healthier lives right from
the start. As these groups fulfill their
responsibilities to our children, my Administration is
striving to fulfill ours through efforts like First
Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, which
aims to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a
generation, and the Affordable Care Act, which has
expanded preventive services for children and ensured
health coverage for millions of young adults.

High-quality education and health care are essential to
giving our children the future they deserve. As we take
this opportunity to honor our sons and daughters, let
us reaffirm that no matter what challenges lie ahead of
us, providing the best for our children will always be
our first priority.

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, 2012, 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
twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.