On rural families valuing care by kith and kin

When I first starte studying rural sociology 15 years ago, I was focused on gender issues, including families.  I was interested--but not surprised--to learn that rural families tended to rely on "kith and kin" for childcare and other shared services.  That's part of what accounted for their attachment to place--the need to be near kith and kin.  

So it was interesting today to see this op-ed in the Washington Post about the need for government to support financially relatives and friend networks who provide child care.  Interestingly, this comes up in relation to Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance suggesting turning to grandparents to provide childcare.  As the author of the essay, Elliot Haspel, writes, Vance's comment "launched a thousand mockeries."  Haspel, of the family policy think tank, Capita, argues that's a missed opportunity.  Here's a key excerpt from his essay as it relates to rural families--and what I assumed might be a dated notion, but apparently is not:  

[A]ll the clap backs [against Vance's comments] miss an important point: A comprehensive child-care policy should absolutely include kin caregivers, and those caregivers need public support.

In the child-care sector, grandparents are grouped into what are known as family, friends or neighbor caregivers, or FFNs. There are about 5 million FFN caregivers in the United States who provide regular, recurring child care — not just the occasional babysitting. They play a critical role in family well-being and children’s early learning and development.

Research commissioned by the philanthropic collaborative Home Grown has shown that FFNs are disproportionately preferred by rural families, families of color and families whose parents work nontraditional schedules such as night shifts. The study found that parents who rely on FFNs such as grandparents appreciate how they “offer flexible, culturally responsive, affordable care that feels like home.”

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[M]any families that want to tap grandparents, aunts, uncles or dear family friends cannot. Even if they want to help, many would-be caregivers need an income. Vance himself, in an interview with CBS News’s “Face the Nation” last month, nodded toward the idea of paying grandparents. FFNs are technically eligible to receive public money through state subsidy programs, which are supported by grants from the federal Child Care Development Fund at the Department of Health and Human Services. About one-fifth of children served by California’s program and two-thirds of Hawaii’s are cared for by an FFN. But eligibility is limited, the application process is arduous and reimbursement rates can be as low at $15 per day.

The story mentions Oklahoma's Kith.care, an initiative launched during the pandemic that allowed certain essential workers to designate an FFN caregiver, such as a grandparent, for payment from the state.  It closes with the assertion that "Public policy can absolutely bolster FFN caregiving."  

Plus, bolstering FFN caregiving would help rural families not only because it is culturally appropriate and may be more convenient, but because of the extreme shortage of child care providers in rural areas.