White House Conference on Child Health and Protection records, 1909-1950

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Summary

Creators:
White House Conference on Child Health and Protection (Location of meeting: Washington, D.C. Date of meeting or treaty signing: 1930.) and American Child Health Association
Abstract:
The records consist of correspondence, expense statements, memoranda, pamphlets, and reports, relating to the physical and social condition of children in the United States, the status of school health education and health service programs, and proposals for the promotion of child welfare. Reports of the American Child Health Association are included.
Extent:
151 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 scrapbook, 3 linear feet (64.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], White House Conference on Child Health and Protection records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection consist of correspondence, expense statements, memoranda, pamphlets, and reports, relating to the physical and social condition of children in the United States, the status of school health education and health service programs, and proposals for the promotion of child welfare. Reports of the American Child Health Association are included.

Much of the material is organized according to the names of various committees, subcommittees, sections, and subsections. Recommendations and reports of these committees are included in the collection, many under a separate "Reports" heading. The White House conference was followed by conferences at state and local levels; records of these are organized under "Follow-up Conferences." The materials also include earlier and later records of other conferences as well as various public and private organizations.

Additional records of the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection are held by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and the National Archives in the Washington, D.C. area. Publications of the conference may be available at libraries holding U.S. government records.

Biographical / historical:

The White House Conference on Child Health and Protection was convened by President Herbert Hoover in Washington, D.C. on November 19-21, 1930, to raise awareness and focus public attention on issues affecting children. These conferences on children and youth were held at approximately ten-year intervals starting in 1909.

A Planning Committee was set up in July 1929 with Ray Lyman Wilbur and other individuals who were experts in their fields to work out detailed plans for a conference to "study the present status of the health and well-being of the children of the United States and its possessions; to report what is being done; to recommend what ought to be done and how to do it." Julia Lathrop, first chief of the Children's Bureau and her successor, Grace Abbott, were involved in the Planning Committee.

Recommendations of the Planning Committee prompted President Hoover to invite all interested people across the country to participate in a conference in Washington, D.C. on November 19-21, 1930, to discuss issues affecting children's lives and exchange ideas. Out of these discussions came recommendations covering prenatal care, parenting skills, education, health, and development of social skills for all children. Thirty-one volumes of information prepared by the White House conference were incorporated into a nineteen point statement and designated the Children's Charter. It carried a promise from all delegates that they would try to make it a reality.

The November conference was only the first part of President Hoover's program. The second part was to convene follow-up conferences in communities and neighborhoods where children lived. Such conferences were convened in thirty-two states, two hundred counties, and many communities, and generated public support.

The collection includes records of the American Child Health Association. It was created in 1923 out of a friendship between Herbert Hoover and Dr. L. Emmett Holt. Their plan was to integrate various volunteer organizations to make it easier to administer finances and carry out welfare programs for children. Its main focus was on education, health care, family environment, and nutrition, which they considered essential ingredients of a productive life for children. It existed until 1935.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], White House Conference on Child Health and Protection records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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