Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them.
Here is a list of resources for September observances.
Month-Long Observances
Attendance Awareness Month
- Attendance Awareness Campaign 2026, Attendance Works
- Key Research: Why Attendance Matters for Achievement and How Interventions Can Help, Attendance Works
- Pennsylvania School Attendance Improvement and Truancy Reduction Toolkit, Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network
Baby Safety Month
- PA Promise for Children List Focuses on Bedroom Safety for Children, Trying Together
- Safety and Emergencies: Family Resources, Trying Together
- Directory for Emergency and Safety Services, Trying Together
- September is Baby Safety Month, Baby Safety Foundation
- 5 Tips for New Parents During Baby Safety Month, SafeKids.org
Childhood Cancer Awareness
- What is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month?, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Free Resources from the American Childhood Cancer Organization, American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO)
- Are There Disparities in Childhood Cancer?, New York State Department of Health
- Childhood Cancers, NIH National Cancer Institute
- Participate in a September Childhood Cancer Awareness Event, Children’s Cancer Cause
Hispanic Heritage Month
- Family Guide to Discussing Race and Equity with Young Children, Trying Together
- Characteristics of the Early Childhood Workforce Serving Latino Children, National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families
- National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
- Supporting Childhood Physical Health: A Guide for Families: The Importance of Exercise, Trying Together
- Preventing Childhood Obesity: 6 Things Families Can Do, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Help Your Child Stay at a Healthy Weight, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month: September 2026, National Today
National Recovery Month
- National Recovery Month 2026, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Recovery Month, Community Care Behavioral Health
- National Recovery Month, Allegheny County Department of Human Services
- Celebrating Roads to Recovery, Pittsburgh Recovery Walk
Newborn Screening Awareness Month
- Newborn Screening, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- What is Newborn Screening?, Baby’s First Test
- Newborn Screening Tests for Your Baby, March of Dimes
- About Newborn Screening, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Weeks of Recognition
September 20 – 26 is Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week
- Car Seat Safety for Children, Trying Together
- Car Seats and Booster Seats Overview, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Safe Kids Worldwide Car Seat Guide Videos, Safe Kids Worldwide
- Boost Your Child Passenger Safety Knowledge and Skills Trainings, National Child Passenger Safety Board
- All Children Are Pedestrians: Prevention Tips and Recent Statistics, Children’s Safety Network at Education Development Center
Days of Recognition
September 6 is National Read a Book Day
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Releases 2026 Best Books for Babies List, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- PA Promise for Children Releases August Books for Preschoolers, Trying Together
- Reading Ready Pittsburgh Working to Expand Regional Participation in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Buzzword
- Children’s Books on Race and Equity, Trying Together
- Resource: Books to Celebrate Gender Expression, Inclusion, and Pride, Trying Together
- Children’s Books About Transitions, Trying Together
- Children’s Books About Mental Health, Trying Together
September 28 is National Family Day
- Family Engagement Toolkit, Trying Together
- Family Guide: Family Dynamics, Trying Together
- Strategies to Support Social-Emotional Development: A Guide for Families, Trying Together
- Family Transitions and Routines: Resources, Trying Together
- Navigating Sibling Relationships, Psychology Today
- Foster and Adoptive Families: Supportive Strategies, PennState Better Kid Care
- Blended Family and Self-Parenting Tips, HelpGuide.org
- Healthy Communication in Stepfamilies, National Stepfamily Resource Center (NRSC)
- Get to Know Your Stepkids, National Stepfamily Resource Center (NRSC)
