Under a Joint Resolution of the Congress, the President of the United States has proclaimed National Child Health Day every year since 1928. It was originally celebrated on May Day, May 1, each year until 1960, when the date was moved to the first Monday in October.
Calvin Coolidge, the first president to issue a Child Health Day Proclamation, acted in response to a plea from both the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) to proclaim the day while the resolution was still pending in Congress. On April 27, the White House referred the AFL/GFWC request to the Secretary of the Treasury for his recommendations. His response was immediate:
"The promotion of Child Health Day is a highly commendable object. The issuance of a proclamation designating a 'Child Health Day' would undoubtedly have influence in focusing public attention on this matter."
On April 28,1928, President Coolidge issued the following proclamation:
WHEREAS the protection and development of the health of the children of today are fundamental necessities to the future progress and welfare of the Nation;
AND WHEREAS, the conservation and promotion of child health places upon us a grave responsibility;
AND WHEREAS, it is appropriate that a day should be set apart each year for the direction of our thoughts towards the health and well-being of our children;
NOW, therefore, I, Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States of America, do hereby set apart May 1 of this year as Child Health Day and do invite the people of the United States and all agencies and organizations interested in child welfare to unite upon that day in the observance of such exercises as will acquaint the people of the Nation with the fundamental necessity of a year-round program for the protection and development of the health of the Nation's children.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Congress completed its deliberations soon thereafter and on May 18 approved its Joint Resolution that reads:
Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the President of the United States is hereby authorized and requested to issue annually a proclamation setting apart May 1 of each year as Child Health Day and invite all agencies and organizations interested in child welfare to be united upon that day in the observance of such exercises as will awaken the people of the Nation to the fundamental necessity of a year-round program for the protection and development of the health of the Nation's children.
Over the years, the topics for National Child Health Day have run the gamut from prenatal care to adolescent health issues, and have included the effects of day care on child development, strategies to prevent childhood injury, and the importance of immunization. This year's theme focuses on the need to provide the best possible care to the 30 million children annually who need emergency care due to an acute illness.