BISMARCK, N.D. – Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden today announced that the North Dakota Children’s Cabinet has released its annual report, highlighting progress made by the panel and its partners to coordinate care for children across all branches of government and tribal nations.
The Children’s Cabinet was created in 2019 to coordinate broad-based leadership across programs, agencies, branches of government and tribal nations to meet the needs of children in North Dakota. The 15-member cabinet includes legislators, representatives from various state agencies, the Governor’s Office, North Dakota Supreme Court and tribal nations, along with a parent, private service provider and other community partners.
State lawmakers passed legislation in 2025 to move the administration of the Children’s Cabinet from the Department of Health and Human Services into the Office of the Governor.
“Bringing the Children's Cabinet into the Governor's Office has further prioritized children and families within this administration. We will continue to listen, learn and identify solutions that improve the lives of our youngest citizens,” Strinden said.
The report highlights several areas of progress, including:
- Building local coordination around children's issues to improve partnerships, establish communication structures and understand community service access and availability.
- Traveling the state to learn directly from stakeholders, engaging with quality programs to understand and elevate what is working and scale up best practices.
- Focusing subcommittee efforts around two specific policy spaces: school readiness and youth with complex needs.
“Sharing this report highlights the tremendous efforts of people across North Dakota who are working every day to improve the lives of our children,” said Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, who chairs the Children’s Cabinet. “From supporting families during the earliest years of a child’s life to addressing complex cases that require multiple partners at the table, the Children’s Cabinet is digging in, bringing people together and finding pathways toward meaningful solutions.”
Additional information about the Children’s Cabinet is available here on the Governor’s Office website.