A new state agency is working to better coordinate and deliver services to young people and their families. It’s called The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. I’ve invited the agency’s new commissioner, Tikki Brown, to share how she plans to make a difference for children and families in our state.
Tell us a bit about yourself. What inspired you to pursue a career in public service focusing on the well-being of children, youth and families?

Tikki Brown: I am from a family that experienced economic instability, and for a period of time when I was a child, relied on the support of multiple public assistance programs. My mother shared her experiences with me, and I saw firsthand the difficulty in accessing services and the stigma and shame associated with needing support. I also am a first-generation college graduate (shout out to St. Cloud State and the University of Minnesota!) and recognize the privilege of higher education and the importance of supporting students pursuing their dreams.
Finally, I am a mother of two children, now in their teens. My life experiences, combined with an understanding of the importance of public policy and government services, have led me to a 20+ year career in government focused on access, equity and collaboration. I remain focused and committed to this work, driven by a need to ensure that when assistance is needed, we can provide the very best, compassionate service to Minnesotans.
How do you and your department engage with diverse communities to ensure that their voices are heard, and their needs are met?
Tikki Brown: I very much enjoy hearing directly from community members. It is very important to me that we not only connect with counties, contracted agencies and tribal governments who partner with the state to deliver services, but that we also hear directly from people who have lived experience in the programs. We have an engagement team putting tools in place to help all Department of Children, Youth, and Family (DCYF) employees engage more closely with community, and we have several councils and committees, and more being created, that allow for more structured community engagement.
What specific goals are you aiming to achieve?
Tikki Brown: With a permanent state agency and commissioner focused on children, youth and families, it is my expectation that we achieve:
- Aligned outcomes and policy across the programs and services brought together under our agency.
- Elevated priorities and funding to address the needs of children, youth and families.
- Focused effort on improving the front door for services, with a goal to ease access, support and navigation for families.
Are your goals different depending on the race and ethnicity of children/families? Are different solutions required, or should all solutions be viewed the same?
Tikki Brown: In Minnesota, we have significant disparities in the race and ethnicity of program participants across an array of services. We need different solutions to address this, not a one-size-fits-all approach. We have several ongoing efforts we expect to have an impact in tackling disparities, and we are looking to deepen our impact with a whole family systems approach. This approach emphasizes a family’s strengths and assets, focuses on children throughout their lives, coordinates services across programs and ensures cross-agency cooperation. The key is to have an array of supports and services that meets families where they are and have systems coordinate services, rather than placing that burden on families.
How are you measuring success and where are you seeing progress?
Tikki Brown: Five months into the launch of the agency, I am pleased to see our teams coming together well, our leaders focusing on strategic initiatives, and building an agency with strong connections with community and partners.
We have until June 30, 2025, to complete our transition process, and in the upcoming months will welcome into our agency programs and services from the Department of Health, Department of Public Safety’s Juvenile Justice team, and Office of Inspector General and operations functions from the Department of Human Services.
Success at this stage of our transition is seeing our programs and services continue uninterrupted as they move to DCYF, and long-term success will be services and programs that meet the evolving needs of children, youth and families in Minnesota.
How can hospitals, health care systems, businesses and communities best partner with you?
Tikki Brown: Each time I connect with a system, business or community, I learn something from it. Sometimes I hear about areas of improvement that can be addressed with a small fix, and sometimes I hear about things going well or about a specific staff member who is a good partner. We would love to hear from anyone looking to establish a new partnership, relationship or share their ideas and thoughts with us. When state agencies partner with local government, community partners and businesses to work together or address an issue, we are stronger for it.
What is our state’s biggest challenge when it comes to the health of children, young people and families?
Tikki Brown: Mental health is the most common area of concern I hear from individuals, families and system partners. There is a need for additional supportive services to give parents resources and education to navigate a difficult time. There is a need for more venues that can provide support for children and young adults that meet their individual needs. There are many people across the state working on this issue that impacts so many Minnesotans. As an agency, we participate in several cross-system workgroups working to address some of the needs and are in the process of hiring a mental health liaison to ensure we are focusing on this high-priority area within DCYF.
What advice would you give to individuals aspiring to improve the wellbeing of children and families?
Tikki Brown: Thank you for focusing on a vulnerable population. Too many families, especially if they are experiencing a crisis, may not know what help is available to them.
First, I would encourage interested individuals to educate themselves on what is available. The DCYF website is a great place to start: dcyf.mn.gov.
Second, I would talk to families directly and ensure they have an understanding of their circumstances and some of the barriers they face. And finally, I would encourage action. For some, action may be helping a family navigate the system or educating them about resources. It could look like volunteering at a local food shelf or providing support to a local preschool. It could be connecting with a local community organization to discuss a partnership or activity. Or it could be meeting with state agency staff to share a policy solution or participating on a council or committee.
Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
Tikki Brown: Our state depends on the success of Minnesota children, youth and families. DCYF is a structural change that brings leadership and focus to all children and families, but specifically a focus on communities facing deep disparities in Minnesota: Black children and families, Indigenous children and families, children and families who are English language learners, and children and families in low-income households. My hope is that in the long-term, we see measurable and lasting improvements in outcomes for Minnesota children and families.
Thank you, Tikki, for sharing a bit about yourself and your plans as you work to launch the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families. For people who want to learn more about the new DCYF, you can visit their website at dcyf.mn.gov.
