meet   Paul Ronningen, State Coordinator, CDF–ND P.O. Box 655 Bismarck, ND 58502  |  701-400-1827 www.cdf-nd.org pronningen@childrensdefense.org intro to CDF Watch Video Learn more about CDF, our history and our Leave No Child Behind® mission. updates Read the latest Child Watch® column from CDF president Marian Wright Edelman. resources ND Economic Policy Project Understand the State Budget and Choices

Children's Defense Fund-North Dakota strengthens the voice of the state's children and families on issues that affect their well-being. A significant number of children and families in North Dakota face poverty, lack of health coverage and inadequate child care.  CDF-ND works to have a positive presence in the state so that all children are provided the opportunities to become successful and contributing adults.

RSVP and Attend a Child Advocacy Forum Near You This Fall

Please join the Children's Defense Fund - North Dakota for a Child Advocacy Forum.  Learn about the relevant issues that are fast approaching the 2013 North Dakota Legislative Session. Click on Learn More above to RSVP and attend.

New Report - 10 Needs for North Dakota's Children

Investments in children today will ensure a healthy future for all North Dakotans. This report outlines the 10 needs for ND's children that, if prioritized today, will bring great rewards in the years to come. Download the report, 10 Needs for North Dakota's Children by CDF-ND.

2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book Ranks North Dakota Sixth in Child Well-being

See the Annie E. Casey KIDS COUNT interactive site and North Dakota State Profile.

2012 North Dakota Children in the States Report

Download the 2012 North Dakota Children in the States Report by Children's Defense Fund

Bridge to Benefits

Bridge to Benefits is a multi-state project by Children’s Defense Fund to improve the well-being of families and individuals by linking them to public work support programs and tax credits. To see if you or someone else may be eligible for public work support programs, use the eligibility screening tool and click on North Dakota. We will ask you a few simple questions but we will NOT ask you for information that identifies you. It's easy, confidential and free!

KIDS COUNT Data Center

North Dakota KIDS COUNT is pleased to partner with The Annie E. Casey Foundation to give you interactive access to all of its KIDS COUNT Data Center:

• Find available data (1991 to most recently released).
• Compare across counties and statewide averages - you choose!

Create graphs and maps for the data and years that interest you most.

NEWS

July 25, 2012 Inforum.com, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

North Dakota, Minnesota rank high for child health

(Excerpt Below)  Read Full Article

FARGO – Minnesota ranks fifth and North Dakota sixth in the U.S. in the latest rankings of child health and well-being, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book.

North Dakota’s economy proved to be a huge boost.

• North Dakota ranks first for the lowest percentage of children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment and for the lowest percentage of children living in households paying more than 30 percent of income on housing. The state has the third-lowest percentage of teens not in school and not working.

• For child health, North Dakota is 27th in the nation. The state has the 25th highest rate of teens who use alcohol and drugs, and the 17th highest rate of uninsured children.

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June 28, 2012 Inforum.com, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

Health care reform impacts in North Dakota, Minnesota

(Exerpt Below) Read Full Article

Health reform impacts in North Dakota

• 5,000 young adults under age 26 now covered under their parents’ health insurance as of December 2011.

• 253,000 residents, including 93,000 women and 66,000 children, are free from worrying about lifetime limits on health insurance coverage. The law also restricts the use of annual limits and bans them completely in 2014.

• 13 community health centers in North Dakota have received $2.2 million to create new sites in medically underserved areas, expanding preventive and primary care.

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April 01, 2012 GrandForksHerald.com

Paul Ronningen, Bismarck column: North Dakota children need Legislature's help

by CDF-North Dakota State Coordinator, Paul Ronnigen (Exerpt Below) Read Full Article

BISMARCK — And how are the children?

The traditional greeting by the Masai of Africa reminds us of the strong value this tribe of warriors puts on the well-being of their children. This greeting is a reminder to us in North Dakota to assess each and every day how well our children are doing.



Children who are provided quality health care and a solid educational foundation are more likely to become productive citizens, leaders and role models. Unfortunately, 8,000 children are living without health care coverage in North Dakota, and another 1,200 eligible children were not able to access Head Start programming this school year.

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February 23, 2012 Inforum.com, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

More North Dakota children living in high-poverty areas

by Helmut Schmidt (Excerpt below) Read Full Article

FARGO – More North Dakota children are living in areas of high poverty, putting them at risk for not getting proper food, housing or health care, and making it more likely that they could have severe behavioral and emotional problems, the Kids Count program announced Thursday.

North Dakota data for 2010 indicates 7 percent of the state’s children, about 11,000, live in economically distressed areas – neighborhoods where at least 30 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line. That’s up from 5 percent in 2000, the Kids Count program at North Dakota State University reports.

The federal poverty threshold in 2010 for a family of four was $22,314, Kids County reports. 

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September 23, 2011 Bismarck Tribune

Failing education: pipeline to prison

by Paul Ronnigen (Except below) Read Full Article

The Tribune carried an article titled, "A New way to spell f-r-e-e-d-o-m," on  Sept. 19. The story highlighted efforts to teach inmates how to read so that when they are released, they will be better prepared to be contributing members of society. This is a noble and valuable effort to ensure a successful start for re-integration in society.
So what happens when we trace back and check to see why we have inmates coming to our public facilities unable to read? Could it be that today we have 1,298 income-eligible North Dakota children on waiting lists for Head Start programs?

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Aug 18, 2011  Inforum.com, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead

Minnesota, North Dakota rank high for kids’ well-being

by Ryan Johnson (Excerpt below) Read Full Article

Both Minnesota and North Dakota rank near the top of the country when it comes to children’s health and well-being, according to a newly released report.

But local analysts said these findings can be deceptive, especially considering that Minnesota has seen a 56 percent jump in its child poverty rate over the past decade and 21 percent of North Dakota children now live in families with neither parent employed full-time year-round.

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