FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 3, 2026

A Different Back-to-School Story: New Report Gives Voice to Rural Families Navigating Child Care

New report from the Southern Education Foundation features research conducted by partners in the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network, highlighting the critical role child care plays in strengthening families, local economies, and rural communities across the South.

ATLANTA, GA. (Thursday, September 3) — As students across the South settle into a new school year, thousands of families with infants and preschool-aged children are navigating a different challenge: finding child care they can afford, trust, and access.

For many families living in rural communities, that search can lead to long waitlists, limited options, rising costs, or no available care at all, forcing difficult choices between work, caregiving, and their children’s early learning opportunities.

Today, the Southern Education Foundation released Examining Child Care in the Rural South: Perspectives for Policy and Practice, a report informed by research conducted by partners in the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network. Drawing on surveys, interviews, and focus groups with families, early childhood educators, child care providers, employers, and state leaders across 12 rural communities in Georgia, Mississippi, and Missouri, the report offers one of the most comprehensive examinations of rural child care in the South and identifies practical, community-informed recommendations.

The report finds that the challenges facing rural families extend well beyond individual households. Strong child care systems are also essential to strong rural communities, supporting parents’ ability to work, helping employers recruit and retain workers, and strengthening local economies. Thirteen of the 17 Southern states have larger child care gaps in rural communities than in urban areas, with some states experiencing rural child care gaps exceeding 50 percent. Participants identified staffing shortages, transportation barriers, affordability challenges, and limited availability as persistent obstacles to meeting the needs of working families. 

“Every conversation about strengthening rural communities should begin with a conversation about children and families,” said Raymond C. Pierce, President and CEO of the Southern Education Foundation. “Child care is far more than a family issue. It is a community issue that depends on families, providers, educators, employers, and policymakers working together to give every child a strong start. When families have access to affordable, reliable child care, children are better prepared to learn, parents can participate in the workforce, businesses can grow, and local economies become more resilient.

“If we want rural communities across the South to thrive, we must invest in the systems that give every child, and every family, the opportunity to succeed.”

Key Findings

The report reveals several persistent challenges affecting rural child care across the South:

• Demand continues to outpace supply. Nearly nine in ten (87%) child care directors surveyed reported maintaining waitlists because they do not have the capacity to serve all families seeking care. 
• The child care workforce is under significant strain. Directors and teachers described ongoing staffing shortages, low wages, limited benefits, and increasing operating costs that make it difficult to recruit and retain qualified educators. Only 35% of early educators surveyed reported having access to employer-sponsored health insurance. 
• Families need more flexible child care options. Sixty-six percent of directors surveyed reported unmet demand for child care during evenings, weekends, and other nontraditional work hours, reflecting the realities of rural employment. 
• Financial pressures affect every part of the system. More than half (57%) of directors surveyed reported that resources are scarce or stretched, while many described personally subsidizing their programs or assisting families struggling to pay tuition. 
• Despite these challenges, rural communities demonstrate extraordinary resilience. Providers, educators, employers, and community organizations continue to collaborate, innovate, and support families, offering a roadmap for policies that build on existing community strengths.

Rather than simply documenting the challenges facing rural child care, the report offers a path forward. Grounded in the lived experiences of families, child care providers, educators, employers, and state leaders, it provides community-informed recommendations to strengthen child care systems across the South. The findings call for policy action to strengthen child care systems across the South. Its recommendations encourage policymakers, working in partnership with business leaders, philanthropic organizations, and community partners, to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care, strengthen the early childhood workforce, invest in transportation and community infrastructure, and remove barriers that prevent families from accessing the care they need.

Pierce added, “Every child deserves the opportunity to begin life with a strong foundation, regardless of their zip code. The families, educators, providers, and community leaders featured in this report have shared not only the challenges they face, but also a vision for what is possible. Now is the time to turn those voices into action. Investing in child care is an investment in stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger South.”

The full report, Examining Child Care in the Rural South: Perspectives for Policy and Practice, is available here.

###

About the Southern Education Foundation

The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) is the nation’s longest-standing education opportunity organization, committed to advancing education policies and practices that elevate learning for students from low-income families and students of color in the South. Since 1867, SEF has worked to disrupt systemic inequities in education by providing technical assistance to build capacity, research-based solutions, shaping public policy, strengthening advocacy efforts, and developing transformational education leaders. As a trusted convener, SEF brings together educators, policymakers, and advocates to drive collective action and lasting change across the South. 

SEF works across the entire education continuum, from early learning to and through postsecondary, to ensure every student, regardless of race, income, or zip code, receives a high-quality education that unlocks opportunity and success. Visit southerneducation.org to learn more.