Cities Plan Events to Celebrate the Future of their Communities

San Antonio, TX—This year marks the 13th annual celebration of El Día de los Niños (Celebrating Young Americans) in the U.S.—a day where children throughout the country are honored. The National Latino Children’s Institute has led the efforts to establish the day in the United States and has garnered support of Latino leaders and organizations, state and local officials and corporations. Since 1998 NLCI has worked closely with the U.S. Senate to pass an annual resolution recognizing April 30 as El Día de los Niños—Celebrating Young Americans. This day was established to ensure that communities honor children, their rights, wellbeing and importance in this country. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, a day is traditionally set aside to commemorate young people; in the U.S. it is a gift from Latino children to all the young people in the country to celebrate childhood.

“On April 30 we will commemorate El Día de los Niños and honor our children as the center of our families and the future of this great nation. As Chair of the Senate Hispanic Task Force, I have made it a priority to ensure our children have the resources they need to be healthy and safe, so that they can grow up to become the leaders our society needs. Nothing is as important as ensuring every opportunity is available for them to reach their highest potential. Their success is our nation’s success,” said Senator Menendez.

“Utahans have long revered and cherished their youngest people. This celebration of the lives of children and young people is a poignant reminder that our future lies in very small hands.” said Senator Hatch. “America’s youth represent the hopes and dreams of our nation, and the importance of families in the economic, cultural, and physical prosperity of our democracy. I am happy to join with many families who are paying tribute on this day to the next generation.”

“With one in four public school children being Latino it is imperative that all children succeed in school; so on April 30 NLCI will join its Promesa network, other partners and youth to celebrate the day. We are proud to continue our work with Senator Menendez to bring attention to issues impacting young Latinos, to celebrate and honor all children on El Día de los Niños—Celebrating Young Americans. It is imperative that we stand together and include youth in the conversation that is going to impact them.” said Josie F. Garza, Executive Director of the National Latino Children’s Institute (NCLI).

“NLCI is proud to have established this day as one where we can look at our communities and see the future,” Josie F. Garza, NLCI’s executive director said. “Latinos know that the center of the family, of the community, is its children. Without children, the community will eventually die. But we also know that much needs to be done to improve the conditions in which they live. NLCI is committed to shining that spotlight not only on the challenges, but also the contributions of young Latinos. El Día de los Niños is a day of celebration, a day to honor all children and the gifts they bring.”

Special events are planned across the country to celebrate El Día de los Niños: in Ohio, 53,000 children will participate in celebrations at the Columbus City schools. Cities in California, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Idaho, Utah and New Jersey, have planned parades, fairs and other cultural events. Each celebration is unique to its community, but all will acknowledge the future of the city—their children.

The new Census data has underscored the changes in the country’s demographics. Hispanics are now 16 percent of the population, up 46.3 percent in the last decade. This accounted for 56 percent of the population growth during that period. Today, one fourth of all children born are Hispanic. By 2050, one in three will be Hispanic.

El Día de los Niños was first celebrated in the United States in 1998 with a parade and events in San Antonio, Texas. Since then, more than 100 cities have participated, and the U.S. Senate has passed a unanimous resolution each year designating April 30 as El Día de los Niños—Celebrating Young Americans.

For additional information and other El Día de los Niños activities visit www.nlci.org.

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The National Latino Children’s Institute (NLCI) was founded in 1997 as a national non-profit organization The National Latino Children's Institute focuses the nation's attention on the contributions and challenges of young Latinos by advocating for their success and well being through partnerships and programs. NLCI carries out its mission by working with community organizations and national partners. Our history and expertise in working with the Latino community, as well as the staff’s commitment and strong relationships with organizations across the country, makes NLCI ideally suited to create and implement strategies that eliminate barriers to building healthy communities for young Latinos. NLCI is the only national Latino organization whose primary focus is young Hispanics.