A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky.
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In-home child care businesses often don't provide caregivers with a livable wage. (Adobe Stock photo)
When it comes to accessing quality, affordable child care, rural parents face a unique set of challenges, among which finding a nearby child care provider can be the most difficult.
The reasons rural child care providers remain scarce include licensing fees and paperwork confusion, costly governmental ordinance requirements, rigid educational demands and an overall inability to make a livable wage. The list makes opening a home daycare an unrealistic small-business option.
In an effort to address the dearth of child care providers, "some states are implementing their own novel solutions to address the shortage," reports Anne Vilen for The Daily Yonder.
Child care operators in Junction City, Kansas, were limited by "contradictory state and city statutes," Vilen explains. "Ultimately, the city eliminated its local zoning fees and aligned local statutes with state licensing requirements."
Along with licensing fees and zoning stipulations, potential home child care owners must meet specific state educational benchmarks. "In rural Alaska, for example, where few communities have access to colleges and where many homes lack reliable internet, obtaining the credentials to get licensed can be especially onerous," Vilen writes.
To help child care workers meet their educational certifications, an Alaska task force developed a program that allowed caregivers "alternative pathways that recognize a provider’s experience," Vilen writes.
Even with other obstacles reduced or removed, making a livable wage with home child care remains elusive. Vilen reports, "In rural areas, where wages are already low, parents working in agriculture or manufacturing often cannot afford higher childcare fees."
Some rural communities also are "testing guaranteed-income programs that boost childcare wages," Vilen explains. "Kansas’s Baby Steps program provides quarterly stipends specifically to providers caring for infants."
Whether it's discovering a ginormous toad, finding the most gooseberries or uncovering troves of fossils, when kids venture into the great unknown of rural places, adventures unfold. A new graphic novel by cartoonist Tiffany Everett, Diary of a Nature Nerd, celebrates all the discoveries and learning nature nerding youth can make while tramping over hill and dale. "Everett encourages readers to explore new places, keep journals about what they encounter, and think like scientists," reports John R. Platt of The Revelator.
Rural school districts with teacher hiring and retention challenges turned to 4-day school weeks as an employment perk that also saves districts money. The 4-day school week schedule has been criticized as cutting too deeply into student learning time, and yet some rural schools are keeping the shortened schedule because it's a practical fix. "The schedule is especially popular with rural communities, where students and teachers often have to travel long distances to get to school," reports Anya Petrone Slepyan of The Daily Yonder. "But when it comes to assessing how the four-day school week affects students’ educational outcomes, the results are inconclusive."
At the end of the 3 1/2-mile hike, the students grab their backpacks and head home. (All Trails photo)
Instead of sitting in detention for breaking school rules, some high
schoolers at Morse High School in Maine have opted to take mandatory
hikes instead. Morse counselor Leslie Trundy was inspired to start the
program after attending an outdoor conference, reports Madi Smith of NPR.
Trundy told Smith, "I hoped that time in the woods, like, I could sort
of take the skills that I have on the road with them, or on the trail,
and be a listener for them and [while students] pay back the time to the school and sort
of serve their consequence, [they] also receive more care and attention."
While growing up on a farm may sound wholesome and safe, farms can be dangerous places for children and young adults. The list of risks is long and can include everything from cows and barbed-wire fencing to big tractors and grain bins. To help farming families build safety awareness and habits, the National Farm Medicine Center and National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety support the "Cultivate Safety" website, which offers free resources in English and Spanish. For a quick safety check, Rural Mutual shares its "Top Tips" list for farmers and kids to review.
Often remembered as the voice of Sam the Snowman from the classic 1964 Christmas television special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Burl Ives also acted and sang. For children who need to calm down after rowdy play or to get ready for bed, Ives' recording of "The Little White Duck and Other Children’s Favorites" is delightfully soothing. Ives’s collection of "traditional folk songs for children is as much fun for the kids as it is for the adults (I dare to say)," writes Jan Pytalski of The Daily Yonder. "Ives was central in promoting traditional folk tunes all the way back in 1940s and continued performing for many decades after."
The first report issued by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" commission alarmed America's "Big Ag" leaders; however, the agricultural industry's intensely focused response appears to have reduced some of the commission's concerns over pesticides, report Amudalat Ajasa and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post.
Released in May, the first MAHA report was Kennedy's initial attempt to define the reasons for chronic illness in American children. It didn't completely bash all pesticide use in American farming, but instead it "raised questions about the health effects of two commonly used pesticides, glyphosate and atrazine," the Post reports. "The report’s rhetoric frustrated powerful agriculture groups," such as CropLife America, a trade group for pesticide companies, and the American Soybean Association.
In an effort to influence the commission, the agricultural industry launched lobbying "blitzes" and "coordinated social media campaigns," Ajasa and Roubein explain. "Their efforts seemingly paid off. The Trump administration’s MAHA strategy document, released last month, did not call for restrictions on pesticides."
While big agriculture companies may be relieved at MAHA's softer stance on pesticides, some of Kennedy’s allies "believe it went too far in bowing to the agriculture industry," Ajasa and Roubein write. But supporters of the strategy claim that MAHA's focus on innovative solutions and technology can benefit American health and farmers.
Meanwhile, Kennedy is still tasked with rooting out the causes of chronic childhood diseases. MAHA's strategy report "notably avoids proposing restrictions on commonly used products such as glyphosate and atrazine," the Post reports. "The report pledges that the EPA will work with the food and agriculture industries to ensure the public has 'awareness and confidence' in the agency’s 'robust review procedures.'"
Some MAHA activists remain frustrated by the report's failure to call out pesticide use and the Trump administration's appointments to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Finding out what a child knows about an event can help parents know where to start. (Adobe Stock photo)
The frequency and extremes of today's news and online media can leave parents and guardians wondering how to help their children process what's happening in the world. Eepti Hajela of The Associated Pressoutlines how to talk to your kids about "what’s going on."
First, be willing to talk about it. "It’s a basic parental impulse to want to protect kids from harsh realities or complicated situations," Hajela explains. But when it comes to national or world events, "information is EVERYWHERE." Shielding children is not realistic.
When approaching difficult or violent events, it's helpful to gauge how much your children or young adults know. "Don't assume they know everything," Hajela writes. To help kids process news or visuals, it's best to know what they know or might have consumed on social media before jumping into a conversation.
Parents and guardians who have processed their own responses first can better help younger people interpret events. They are their children's role model, so if possible, getting to a level of calm about any situation helps kids feel safer, even when discussing disturbing events or images.
Make it an ongoing conversation, rather than a one-time discussion. Parents and guardians can't stop the world from turning to protect their kids, but they can provide a safe space where kids can ask questions and learn tools to process their emotions.
Map from SmokyMountains.com shows fall leaf color projections. Red indicates peak color.
As autumn begins across much of the U.S., many Americans and tourists plan day trips or vacations to take in nature’s stunning fall colors. "Parts of the U.S. will soon start to see — if they haven't already — leaves and shrubs trade their green hues for vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red as the days get shorter and temperatures get chillier," reports Rachel Treisman of NPR. Explore Fall, TheSmokyMountains.com and Almanac websites offer some of the best "estimates [for] when leaves will change and colors will peak across the country."
Faced with ongoing population growth, an aging water system, and intermittent droughts paired with scorching temperatures, Texas officials and lawmakers are working to address the state's water crisis. But even as solutions are hammered out in Austin, the "state's regional diversity and patchwork of governments complicate matters further," reportsThe Texas Tribune. "Texas voters will be asked this fall to approve a $20 billion package to protect the state’s water supply. . . . The $20 billion is just a fraction of what some experts believe the state needs to invest going forward."
In a bid to help balance pharmacy payments, Optum Rx "has increased reimbursement minimums for brand drugs for approximately 2,300 independent pharmacies," reports Heather Landi of Fierce Healthcare. The company's shift to a cost-based model is helping the bottom line of the "more than 24,000 independent and community pharmacies it works with. . ." More than half of all independent pharmacies operate in rural areas of the U.S., but many have closed or struggle to stay afloat due to high operational costs and low reimbursement rates.
When it comes to remembering 2020, many Americans would probably prefer not to recall the year at all. But film director Ari Aster doesn't want anyone to forget. In his latest film, "Eddington," Aster takes viewers back to the early days of the pandemic through the lens of a rural town drama set between a town sheriff and its mayor. Eddington captures the "anxiety, confusion, listlessness, and frustration of those first few months of lockdown as the backdrop for a dark and twisted story of a man, a town, and a country gone crazy," writes Anya Petrone Slepyan of The Daily Yonder. "Ari Aster’s latest rural thriller will give you something to think about."
When individuals suffering from opioid addictions are released from jail or prison, they face a high risk of overdose; however, a recent study shows that medication treatment during incarceration can lower their chances of overdosing upon release. "Use of medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) in jail was strongly associated with lower risks for overdose, death, and re-incarceration after release into the community," reports Shannon Firth of MedPage Today. The observational study was conducted in Massachusetts correctional facilities.
No matter where adults live, it may seem like kids have a different language that includes words that don't mean what they meant even three years ago. Keeping up with what young people are saying can feel impossible for anyone attempting to stay "hip," but not knowing kid-jargon can be a particular nightmare for parents. "As a little bit of an explainer, here’s a quick guide to slang terms that have made a mark in recent months," writes Paul Anthony Jones for Mental Floss. A few "explainers" are shared below.
Kid-jargon can mystify adults. (Graphic by Justin Dodd, Mental Floss)
W in the chat! "W has been used as a slang abbreviation for a win for over 50 years — although nowadays it’s used not just of victories, but of anything that could be regarded as laudable or impressive."
What the sigma?!? "As Merriam-Webster has noted, [the word] sigma has become increasingly ironic, pejorative, and jokey. . . This phrase in Gen Z and Gen Alpha vernacular is roughly the 2020s equivalent of 'What the heck?!'"
Do it for the plot! "If you imagine your life as one big movie, 'doing something for the plot' means doing something bold or risky that, in the retelling of your life story, would act as a major plot point."
Estimates on how many rural children rely on school lunches for at least one nutritionally balanced meal to fill their bellies each weekday hover around five million. Nationwide, school cafeterias in America "serve 45 million meals a day," reports Kim Severson of The New York Times. "If they were a restaurant chain, it would be the largest in the country."
Besides the sheer number of meals that need to be served, school cafeteria planners and workers are managing "tighter nutritional standards, and limits on food purchased from other countries, like bananas, to 10% of what’s served," Severson explains. "School nutrition directors are bracing for the impact of federal budget cuts and updated federal dietary guidelines."
Some schools have already implemented some of the new guidelines, which include less sugar, fewer food dyes and more scratch-made entrees. But upgrading lunches while reducing costs will be tough on school cafeteria budgets. Severson adds, "And then there is the biggest challenge of all: How to satisfy the fast-changing tastes of a generation of food-savvy children."
Severson outlines what's new on the menu for 2025-26 school meals; a few are shared below.
Sugar reduction and "cultural-club" food: Lunch favorites such as yogurt, milk and cereal are limited by grams of sugar. "A cup of chocolate milk, for example, can have only 10 grams or less of added sugar," Severson writes. Schools can opt to use "more culturally inclusive [ingredients], or swap out meat with legumes, tofu and other alternative protein sources."
Make it from scratch, like they did before the 1980s, which saves money and is generally healthier. "Cooking from scratch is one way to make school food healthier," Severson reports. "More districts are trying to bring it back after economic pressures and looser federal standards in the 1980s resulted in an era of heat-and-eat meals."
Bring on the noodles and 'Woodles': "Woodles are the most exciting new thing to hit the cafeteria this year," Severson explains. "The dried ramen noodles, made by a South Carolina company, were created specifically for school food service, with enough whole wheat to satisfy federal nutrition requirements."
After their county sheriff, Jody Wade, announced his office had
uncovered an alleged child sex trafficking ring that included at least
10 children ages 3 to 15 years old, residents of Bibb County, Alabama,
were at a loss for what to think or do, so they met at a small
Presbyterian church and prayed.
"There were Baptists and
Methodists and some who claimed no denomination at all, heads bowed and
eyes closed in a rare show of interfaith unity amid criminal allegations
considered so evil that some openly wondered if Satan himself had taken
up residence here," reports Holly Bailey of The Washington Post.
“We
can’t assume that just because we’re in small towns that everything
operates like it did in the days of ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’” Robert
Turner Jr., the district attorney for Alabama’s 4th Judicial Circuit,
which includes Bibb County, told WAKA-TV.
The closely-knit rural county was shocked to hear a child sex trafficking ring was operating on the outskirts of town. (Ala. Conservation photo)
At
the center of the finding was an isolated, underground storm shelter on
the "dusty outskirts of Brent, an adjacent town of about 3,000 people
located an hour south of Birmingham," Bailey explains. For at least the
last three years, children were taken into the bunker and "allegedly
drugged and abused in an operation that included sex trafficking [and]
torture."
After the bunker was discovered and one of the defendants agreed to cooperate, "seven people were arrested and charged
with a laundry list of crimes, including numerous charges of rape,
sexual abuse, trafficking and kidnapping," Bailey reports. "The
defendants include the parents of at least four victims."
Wade
warned the community that the initial "revelations are probably only
'scratching the surface,' with additional victims and more arrests
expected," Bailey writes. He told her, “I know God’s forgiveness is
boundless, but if there was a limit to it, I think we reached it.
Even cereal boxes look alarmed at their prices. (Photo by G. Fryer, TRB)
After years of grocery inflation, U.S. food prices are so high that many families have tightened their food budgets. And while the average American can't do much more to fight food and staple costs, some states have cut their grocery sales tax to help ease some of the burden, reports Elizabeth Daigneau of Route Fifty. "Earlier this month, Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation eliminating Illinois' 1% tax on groceries starting in 2026, saying the tax is regressive and hurts low-income Illinoisans."
Even as overall inflation cools "food prices are still far higher than they were pre-pandemic," Daigneau explains. "And grocery shopping is a major expense for all Americans: Food ranks as the third-largest household expenditure, following housing and transportation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. . . Next week, Oklahoma’s 4.5% statewide grocery tax will come off the books."
Many states already eliminated grocery taxes. "With the legislation in Oklahoma and Illinois, now only 10 states impose a grocery tax. That number could soon be down to seven as Idaho is considering eliminating its 6% grocery tax in the 2025 legislative session," Daigneau reports, and Utah and South Dakota voters will decide if their grocery taxes should be nixed during November's elections.
Want American children to eat less unhealthy food? Put big warning labels on it. "The U.S. can learn from Chile, another high-income country that grapples with nutrition and health problems. In 2016, as part of a comprehensive law to prevent further increases in childhood obesity, Chile became the first country to implement warning labels on foods high in nutrients of concern, including most ultra-processed products," writes Lindsey Smith Taillie in her opinion for The Wall Street Journal. The front of the package warning label is shaped like a stop-sign and includes "text cautioning consumers that the product is high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat or calories."
Once put on store shelves, the bold black and white labels produced striking results. "Calories consumed from consumer purchases of products with warning labels dropped by 24%, with similar results for sugar and other ingredients," Taillie writes. "The law also spurred the food and beverage industry to reduce the amount of sugar and sodium in many of their products, leading to a healthier food supply."
Other South American countries have adopted similar labeling regulations. In addition, countries such as Chile and Peru "restrict the use of cartoons, characters, or other techniques that appeal to kids on any product carrying a warning label," Taillie explains.
The U.S. food industry has rejected labeling as redundant, expensive and bad for business, but Chile's results do not support those claims. "A team of researchers found the laws had little to no effect on wages, employment, or profits in the food and beverage industry sector," Taillie writes. "Importantly, researchers found the law also had no effect on food prices, even for products that were reformulated."
