III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 453 

Designating April 30, 2016, as ‘‘Dı ́a de los Nin ̃os: Celebrating Young 

Americans’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 28, 2016 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. BENNET, Mr. CRAPO, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. 

MURRAY, Mr. NELSON, Mr. REED, Mr. REID, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. 

BOXER, and Mr. HATCH) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating April 30, 2016, as ‘‘Dı ́a de los Nin ̃os: 

Celebrating Young Americans’’. 

Whereas each year, people in many countries throughout the 

world, and especially in the Western Hemisphere, celebrate Dı ́a de los Nin ̃os, or Day of the Children, on April 

30th in recognition and celebration of the future of their 

country—their children; 

Whereas children represent the hopes and dreams of the people of the United States, and the well-being of children 

remains one of the top priorities of the United States; 

Whereas the people of the United States must nurture and 

invest in children to preserve and enhance economic prosperity, democracy, and the spirit of the United States; 


smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 453 ATS 

Whereas in 2014, the Census Bureau estimated that approximately 17,900,000 of the nearly 55,400,000 individuals 

of Hispanic descent living in the United States are children under 18 years of age, representing 1⁄3 of the total 

Hispanic population residing in the United States and 

roughly 1⁄4 of the total population of children in the 

United States; 

Whereas Hispanic Americans, the youngest and largest racial 

or ethnic minority group in the United States, celebrate 

the tradition of honoring their children on Dı ́a de los 

Nin ̃os and wish to share this custom with all people of 

the United States; 

Whereas as the United States becomes more culturally and 

ethnically diverse, the people of the United States must 

strive to create opportunities that provide dignity and upward mobility for all children; 

Whereas the primary teachers of family values, morality, and 

culture are parents and family members, and children are 

responsible for passing on family values, morality, and 

culture to future generations; 

Whereas the importance of literacy and education is most 

often communicated to children through family members; 

Whereas the latest data from the National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (referred to in this preamble as 

‘‘NAEP’’) indicates that Latino students continue to 

score lower than the national average on reading assessments conducted at the elementary school, middle school, 

and high school levels—an achievement gap that has persisted for decades; 


smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 453 ATS 

Whereas the most recent data by NAEP demonstrates that 

81 percent of Latino fourth graders in public schools are 

not proficient in reading; 

Whereas Latino authors and Latino protagonists remain 

underrepresented in literature for children, and less than 

3 percent of books for children are written by Latino authors, illustrated by Latino book creators, or feature significant Latino cultural content, even though 1⁄4 of all 

public school children are Latino; 

Whereas research has shown that culturally relevant literature can increase student engagement and reading 

comprehension, yet some Latino students may go their 

entire educational experience without seeing themselves 

portrayed positively in the books that they read and the 

stories that they hear; 

Whereas increasing the number and proportion of multicultural authors in literature for children elevates the voices 

of the growing diverse communities in the United States 

and can serve as an effective strategy for closing the 

reading proficiency achievement gap; 

Whereas addressing the widening disparities that still exist 

among children is of paramount importance to the economic prosperity of the United States; 

Whereas the designation of a day to honor the children of the 

United States will help affirm the significance of family, 

education, and community among the people of the 

United States; 

Whereas the designation of a day of special recognition for 

the children of the United States will provide an opportunity for children to reflect on their futures, articulate 


smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 453 ATS 

their aspirations, and find comfort and security in the 

support of their family members and communities; 

Whereas families should be encouraged to engage in family 

and community activities that include extended and elderly family members and encourage children to explore and 

develop confidence; 

Whereas the National Latino Children’s Institute, serving as 

a voice for children, has worked with cities throughout 

the United States to declare April 30, 2016, as Dı ́a de 

los Nin ̃os: Celebrating Young Americans, a day to bring 

together Latinos and communities across the United 

States to celebrate and uplift children; and 

Whereas the people of the United States should be encouraged to celebrate the gifts of children to society and invest in future generations: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates April 30, 2016, as ‘‘Dı ́a de los 

3 Nin ̃os: Celebrating Young Americans’’; and 

4 (2) calls on the people of the United States to 

5 join with all children, families, organizations, com6 munities, churches, cities, and States across the 

7 United States to observe the day with appropriate 

8 ceremonies, including activities that— 

9 (A) center around children and are free or 

10 minimal in cost so as to encourage and facili11 tate the participation of all people; 

12 (B) are positive, uplifting, and help chil13 dren express their hopes and dreams; 


smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 453 ATS 

1 (C) provide opportunities for children of all 

2 backgrounds to learn about each other’s cul3 tures and share ideas; 

4 (D) include all family members, especially 

5 extended and elderly family members, so as to 

6 promote greater communication among the gen7 erations within families, which will enable chil8 dren to appreciate and benefit from the experi9 ences and wisdom of elderly family members; 

10 (E) provide opportunities for families with11 in a community to build relationships; and 

12 (F) provide children with the support they 

13 need to develop skills and confidence and to 

14 find the inner strength, will, and fire of the 

15 human spirit to make their dreams come true. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with BILLS