As we start the new year, North Dakota KIDS COUNT is committed to providing current, relevant, and reliable data to help shape the issues affecting children and families. Help us continue this important work by donating to North Dakota KIDS COUNT today. ndkidscount.org/donate

The North Dakota legislature is in session and we are following bills related to children’s well-being to make sure the 180,000 children in our state have what they need to thrive. We’ll be sharing more updates as things get started!

By early December, 62% of school districts in the U.S. had reopened for full or partial in-person classes, but the rate of coronavirus remained low among younger kids. cnn.it/35JqIFX

North Dakota is getting almost $18 million from the latest COVID relief bill to support child care providers and families. While this funding will help families, more is needed to sufficiently support the child care sector. Read the blog here: clasp.org/blog/covid-rel…

House Bill 1413 would provide free meals to the more than 80,000 children who pay reduced or full-price lunches. Check out this article that highlights the proposal and how it impacts working families. Read the article here: ow.ly/W4fx50Dl6hq

House Bill 1441 provides a paid family and medical leave program for North Dakotans. North Dakota must do more to protect workers during critical, life-changing circumstances. Paid Family Leave for North Dakota is a common-sense plan to fill the gaps.

New research including North Dakota respondents shows women disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In the survey, more than 80% of women said their lives had been disrupted, compared to 72% of men. Learn more here: montana.edu/news/20752/msu…

Three out of four children in North Dakota have all parents in the workforce. HB 1441 supports these working families during critical, life-changing circumstances. Check out our County Profiles to see how many working families are in your community: ndkidscount.org/county-data

Paid Family Leave can help working people be present for their families during critical times while easing the economic burden of extended time away from work. We encourage you to contact your representatives and ask for a YES vote on HB 1441. act.prairieactionnd.org/letter/yes-on-…

Expanding the Child Tax Credit as part of the American Rescue Plan Act helps 92% of North Dakota children and specifically lifts 4,000 North Dakota children above the poverty line. Read more about how this relief impacts children and families here: cbpp.org/research/pover…

The American Rescue Plan provides funding to support child care. North Dakota should receive nearly $76 million to help expand child care assistance and support child care providers. Read more about the plan here: clasp.org/publications/f…

New data alert: education data has been updated on the KIDS COUNT Data Center, like the graduation rate from 2020. Check out the new data here: datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/90…

Have you checked out this new report, The State of North Dakota’s Babies, from our partners at ZERO TO THREE ? Read the report here: stateofbabies.org/state/north-da…

NEW DATA ALERT – The most recent food insecurity estimates from Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap have been added to the KIDS COUNT Data Center. What does the data look like in your county? Check out the data here: datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/10…

The 32nd edition of the KIDS COUNT Data Book is available today and explores data on children’s well-being. All week we will explore the data in North Dakota and how we can help children thrive in our state. Check out the data book here: aecf.org/databook

In North Dakota is more children do not have health coverage in 2019 compared to the year before. This means 15,000 North Dakota children lack health coverage, a 30 percent increase in just one year. Learn more on our data book here: aecf.org/databook

We are so excited for the new Early Childhood Division and the continued work to make sure young North Dakotans grow up in supportive early childhood environments. Learn more here: bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and…

We released a new report on child care availability, quality, and affordability in North Dakota. The report finds that North Dakota families across the state struggle to find and pay for care. You can read the full report on our website here: ndkidscount.org/a-modern-econo…

Did you know that child care is as expensive as in-state tuition? This puts child care out of reach for many families. We have solutions to make child care more affordable and accessible, without sacrificing quality or worker pay. Read our new report here: ndkidscount.org/a-modern-econo…

The legislative session earlier this year had 932 bills introduced!! We sifted through the bills and summarized those that impact child and family well-being. Read more about these bills in our new report here: ndkidscount.org/2023-legislati…