Findings from the first national survey designed specifically to examine childcare experiences and needs among U.S. farm families show that childcare challenges are closely linked to child safety, farm business decisions, household finances and family well-being. A project of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) has produced five new research briefs that were recently published by the Pennsylvania State University.
The National Farm Families Childcare Survey collected responses from 860 farm households with children under age 18 across 47 states during the winter of 2023. The survey offers a national snapshot of how farm families navigate childcare while managing farm businesses and raising children.
Among the findings, nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents reported concerns about a child being injured on the farm at least sometimes, underscoring the close connection between childcare, supervision and farm safety. Additionally, more than three-quarters (77%) reported making changes to balance childcare and work responsibilities, including reducing work hours or leaving off-farm or on-farm employment, highlighting the connections between childcare, farm business decisions and household finances.
Each of the five research briefs focuses on a specific topic: childcare and schooling arrangements; childcare decisions and family well-being; children and farm safety; children and farm household finances and business decisions; and farm parents’ perspectives on solutions that could help them navigate personal and professional responsibilities.
“These briefs show that childcare is not just a family issue. It is connected to farm safety, business viability, household finances and family well-being,” said Florence Becot, Ph.D., project director and the Nationwide Insurance Early Career Professor in Agricultural Safety and Health at the Pennsylvania State University. “By better understanding the realities farm families face, we can identify opportunities to support both their families and their farm businesses.”
The project began in 2020 as part of NCCRAHS. The work has been funded by NCCRAHS through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and it has also received financial support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Nationwide Insurance Endowment in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, and the Miller Endowment at the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute.
The findings reveal both the diversity and common experiences of farm families. Respondents described a wide range of goals, values and priorities related to raising children and involving them in farm life. At the same time, concerns about child safety and access to childcare emerged as common challenges across farm households.
One of the briefs explores solutions that farm parents believe would help them navigate personal and professional responsibilities:
· Affordable health insurance and more predictable farm income would support health and economic well-being.
· Solutions to keep children safe on the farm include safety kits and financial support to install safe play areas.
· Supporting access to childcare results in solutions such as childcare tax credit and affordable quality childcare and pre-K options.
The findings come at a time when policymakers at federal, state and community levels increasingly recognize childcare as an issue that affects workforce participation, recruitment, and retention.
The new briefs are available through the project page, https://www.marshfieldresearch.org/nccrahs/FarmChildrenChildcare.
· Research Brief #2. Farm Families’ childcare and schooling arrangements
· Research Brief #3. Childcare Decisions for Farm Families and Well-Being
· Research Brief #4. Working with children on the Farm and Keeping them Safe
· Research Brief #5. Children, the Farm Business, and Farm Household Finances
· Research Brief #6. Perspectives on What Could Help Farm Families Navigate Personal and Professional Responsibilities
