Understanding Parental Engagement in Early Learning Opportunities for Families in Rural Communities

Abstract

Understanding the contexts in which young children develop is essential for promoting positive outcomes. In this study, the researchers used focus groups to investigate the perspectives of 14 parents across rural North Carolina concerning ecocultural features that enhanced or prevented sustained engagement with their infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays. Parents perceived ecocultural features as having either a positive influence or no influence on their engagement. They also reported actively making accommodations to interrupt potential barriers to engagement. Results highlight the adaptive capacities of families in rural communities and delineate community resources that might contribute to sustainable intervention practices.

Parents’ Part C Experiences in Rural Areas: Alignment With Recommended Practices

“…While parents reported visits with FSSs consistently took place in their homes or community settings, there was more variation in environments for services provided by therapists, with most parents reporting visits with therapists took place in a clinic. This finding is in line with others who have also found that families living in rural areas must travel to receive some or all Part C services (Cummings et al, 2017;Haring & Lovett, 2001). The provision of Part C services outside of natural environments is not in line with the DEC (2014) recommended practices (Childress, 2004;Odom et al, 2011;Raver & Childress, 2015;Snyder et al, 2015), yet it is possible that challenges faced in rural areas (e.g., limited access to services, and hiring and retaining of pediatric specialists; Cummings et al, 2017;Hallam et al, 2009;Haring & Lovett, 2001) could contribute to why this is occurring.…”

“…Young children living in rural areas are more likely to receive special education services (Grace et al, 2006) and are frequently underrepresented in national research (Capizzano & Fiorillo, 2004). Rural families may experience challenges related to travel requirements and accessibility to services (Cummings et al, 2017; Hallam et al, 2009; Haring & Lovett, 2001; Rural Health Information Hub, 2018), poverty (Hallam et al, 2009; Haring & Lovett, 2001), and a lack of information about services (Bush et al, 2015; Elpers et al, 2016). Agencies in rural areas also struggle to hire and retain Part C service providers, and very few specialized providers (e.g., physical, occupational, and speech therapists) in rural areas have pediatric backgrounds (Haring & Lovett, 2001).…”

“…The challenges faced in rural areas, particularly around accessibility to services and highly trained professionals (Cummings et al, 2017; Hallam et al, 2009; Haring & Lovett, 2001; Rural Health Information Hub, 2018), may influence the environments in which Part C services take place. It is important to note that the Part C literature and recommended practices describe environments in ways that extend beyond the where and what of services (location, and the activities, routines, and materials used; Childress, 2004; DEC, 2014) to also encompass how services are provided (DEC, 2014; Shelden & Rush, 2001).…”

“…Despite evidence for and recommendations regarding service provision within natural environments, some parents and providers may prefer clinic-based services (Fitzpatrick et al, 2007) or view clinic-based services as more supportive of outcomes for children with exceptionalities (Stewart, 2011). Families in rural communities report traveling to Part C appointments is a challenge they face (Cummings et al, 2017; Hallam et al, 2009; Haring & Lovett, 2001), which may suggest that Part C services are not taking place in children’s home environments.…”

“…Despite this consensus, there is variation in the use of these recommended practices. This variation warrants an in-depth qualitative approach to understand parents’ experiences of receiving Part C services and how this aligns with specific DEC (2014) recommended practice areas (Rodger et al, 2008), especially for families living in rural areas as there may be unique challenges that influence the provision of services (Bush et al, 2015; Cummings et al, 2017; Elpers et al, 2016; Hallam et al, 2009; Haring & Lovett, 2001). Therefore, the overall purpose of this exploratory study is to better understand parents’ experiences of receiving Part C services as related to the specific DEC (2014) recommended practice areas of (a) “where” and “what” of natural environments, (b) collaboration, and (c) building family capacity.…”