1-101 - Families in the Rural Context: Influences on the Development of Young Children

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Children’s development is largely the result of complex interactions between a child, his/her caregivers and environments. Before school entry, children’s socialization occurs primarily within the family. As per ecological theory, families are embedded within broader environmental contexts (e.g., communities) characterized by a host of factors, including size, location, and resources. An understudied contextual factor in the study of ecological influences on young children’s development is rurality.

Approximately 20% of U.S. children reside in rural communities (Strange et al., 2012). Close community networks and safe neighborhoods may encourage rural family stability; however, isolation, small population bases, limited revenue, underqualified childcare staff and limited early learning opportunities create barriers for rural families. Rural children entering kindergarten have been found to possess less advanced academic skills (Miller & Votruba-Drzal, 2013) and greater difficulties with externalizing behaviors (Sheridan et al., in press) relative to children in other geographic settings, explained partly by less advantageous home environments (Miller & Votruba-Drzal) and less parental emotional support (Sheridan et al.). There is a need to understand parenting practices within rural settings, and identify methods to enhance early learning experiences for young rural children.

This paper symposium highlights studies investigating parenting in the context of rural communities for children birth to five years. Three papers highlight (a) the effect of father engagement on outcomes of rural infants/toddlers, (b) rural family language use and the buffering role of language in rural childcare settings, and (c) the moderating role of rural parent-teacher relationships on the effects of a school-readiness intervention.

Sub Unit

• Family Context & Processes

Chair

• Susan M. Sheridan, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Discussant

• Helen H Raikes, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Individual Presentations

• Father Engagement and Maternal and Child Outcomes in a Rural Early Head Start Program - Presenting Author: Lori A Roggman, Utah State Univ; Sheila Anderson, Utah State University; Gina Cook, California State Univ Stanislaus

• Mother, Father, and Caregiver Language Input to Children in Rural America: What Makes a Difference for Language Development? - Presenting Author: Lynne Vernon-Feagans, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Nadya Pancsofar, The College of New Jersey; Claire Baker, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Mary Bratsch-Hines, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Promoting Connections across Rural Home and School Settings: The Role of Parent-Teacher Relationships on School Readiness Outcomes - Presenting Author: Lisa L Knoche, Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln; Susan M. Sheridan, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Carolyn P Edwards, Univ of Nebraska