In the past the practicing pediatrician has played virtually no part in the planning and development of governmental programs for health care of children. Until this year these programs were tangential to his work. They were limited either to certain well defined problems or to well defined population groups or both. Many men in practice chose to participate as their contribution to the welfare of disadvantaged children; however, the extent and manner of their participation was a matter which they themselves could determine individually. Now the situation has changed.