Furthermore, community connections may also create a more stable child care system in rural settings. These, and other, potential strengths of rural child care may attract closer scrutiny as researchers move to a more ecological focus on how families and child care settings interact rather than concentrating solely on factors of the program in isolation. Similarly, rural providers may face unique frustrations and negative circumstances. Rural families ask relatively few questions about curriculum, nutrition, or training and are more likely to inquire about safety, child happiness, and fees. Implications for Policymakers Rethinking regulation .
Many rural providers feel that child care legislation has an inherent urban bias.
Funding formulas for federal programs, with their reliance on population size and density, often favor urban over rural areas. The smaller scale of rural programs and relative lack of individuals with highly specialized credentials make writing and competing for grants quite difficult. Policymakers need to realize that demands and controls reasonable in metropolitan areas may be counterproductive in rural settings. Developing new rural approaches . In designing and delivering services, alternatives to the more-familiar centralized model may be needed.