Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 9, 2024 / Presidential Documents 81823 

Proclamation 10833 of October 4, 2024 

Child Health Day, 2024 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Our Nation’s children deserve every opportunity to reach their biggest 

dreams—that begins with ensuring our families and children have the resources and support they need to stay healthy and strong. On Child Health 

Day, we recommit to supporting families as they help their children to 

lead healthy lives. 

When we came into office, Vice President Harris and I promised to give 

families some well-deserved breathing room so that families could care 

for their children without worrying about how they were going to pay 

the bills. That is why my American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax 

Credit, which reduced child poverty by nearly half across the Nation. That 

law also made our Nation’s biggest investment in child care ever, keeping 

businesses open and hundreds of thousands of child care workers employed 

to care for children. To lower health insurance costs, I signed the Inflation 

Reduction Act, saving millions of families $800 per year on their health 

insurance premiums. And we strengthened the Maternal, Infant, and Early 

Childhood Home Visiting Program to provide home visits from trained professionals, who can offer prenatal care and postpartum support to new mothers 

and ensure their children’s health and well-being needs are met. We launched 

the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1–833–TLC–MAMA to help 

better support pregnant and postpartum moms. We also modernized the 

Thrifty Food Plan for the first time in nearly five decades so that millions 

more families can afford nutritious foods. We are working to reduce the 

amount of sodium in food to help prevent children from experiencing high 

blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke later in life. At the same time, 

we are working to secure free and healthy school meals for every child— 

beginning with setting a goal to deliver free school meals to nine million 

more children by 2032. 

My Administration is also working to ensure our youth have access to 

the mental health care they need, making the largest investment in mental 

health ever. This includes over $2 billion in funding, including $1 billion 

through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, to help schools across the 

country train and hire new mental health counselors. We made it easier 

for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver health care, including mental 

health care, to millions of children and youth. And we launched 988, 

the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which anyone can call, text, or chat to 

be connected to a trained crisis counselor, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Americans deserve to live in a safe community, free from the threat of 

violence—and when it comes to our Nation’s children, one of our most 

fundamental responsibilities is keeping them safe. In the United States, 

firearms are the leading cause of death for children. It is unacceptable. 

Children are exposed to violence and worry about school shootings happening to them, and this exposure and fear can lead to negative consequences 

for their school life, mental health, and more. That is why I signed the 

most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and have announced 

dozens of gun safety executive actions, including one that will improve 

the active shooter drills that nearly all students undergo. I also established 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PRESDOC4
81824 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 9, 2024 / Presidential Documents 

the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen 

by Vice President Harris. We have made significant progress, but we must 

do more. I continue to call on the Congress to ban assault weapons and 

high-capacity magazines, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal 

background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers. 

Our Administration is also making historic investments to tackle the climate 

crisis, which is essential to protecting our children’s futures. Every child 

should be able to turn on the faucet at home or school and have access 

to safe, clean water—that is why, through my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 

we are working to replace every lead pipe in America. My Inflation Reduction 

Act—the most significant investment in climate ever—is investing in air 

quality sensors so that we prevent communities from experiencing the harmful effects of pollution. And we have recommitted to conserving 30 percent 

of all our Nation’s lands and waters by 2030 so that generations to come 

may enjoy them. 

Our children deserve to grow up in a country that cares about their health, 

happiness, and opportunities for success. During Child Health Day, may 

we recommit to supporting our children and families so that they can 

thrive. And may we continue to build a future where every child can 

reach their full potential. 

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, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States 

of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 7, 2024, 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 fourth day 

of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the 

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortyninth. 

[FR Doc. 2024–23458 

Filed 10–8–24; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3395–F4–P 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PRESDOC4BIDEN.EPS</GPH>