Majority of Farm Families Struggle With Access to Child Care, According to Survey

Raising children while keeping a farm going is no easy feat.

In a recent study conducted by Penn State and Ohio State University, over three-quarters of the 729 farm families surveyed said they had experienced child care challenges.

Cost and availability were the biggest obstacles, said Florence Becot, the lead for Penn State’s Agricultural Safety and Health Program.

“In some cases, because of the cost of child care or the lack of access, families put off making those investments in their farm, which can have a long-term impact,” Becot said.

In fact, the study found that 78% of respondents made changes to their operation to balance the needs of caring for their children. Those changes can affect the profitability of a farm, by reducing work hours, shifting schedules or even changing the operation, Becot said.

Making changes when the children are young can have a compounding effect on the farm.

Becot and Ohio State professor Shoshanah Inwood have been studying farm families’ child care needs for a number of years. Since 2020, they have briefed legislators and participated in a congressional hearing.

They have shared their findings with farm organizations, leading both the Farm Bureau and the National Farmers Union to add affordable child care in rural areas to their priorities for the Farm Bill.

Read more from Lancaster Farming.