Broad Support Across the Political Spectrum

The numbers tell a clear story. The chart below illustrates just how widespread support is for increasing child care choices, particularly in rural communities where access remains a significant challenge. A recent poll by First Five Years Fund and UpOne Insights highlights how Americans, regardless of political affiliation, believe that increasing funding for child care would improve options for families who struggle to find quality care.

Source: First Five Years Fund, New Poll: GOP Voters Call on Congress, White House to Act on Child Care

The data make one thing clear: child care is not a partisan issue. While national support for expanding child care access sits at 77%, the numbers rise even higher in rural communities, where 84% of respondents agree that proposals increasing federal child care funding would improve options. This includes 55% who strongly agree—a level of intensity that exceeds urban and suburban areas.

Even among Republican voters, a strong majority sees child care as a priority: 71% of GOP primary voters agree with increasing child care choices, showing that this issue resonates across party lines.

Why Rural Families Face Unique Challenges

Unlike urban and suburban areas, rural communities often have fewer child care providers, longer waitlists, and limited infrastructure to support working families. The lack of options forces parents to make tough choices—sometimes leaving the workforce altogether due to the absence of affordable, high-quality care.

Even if people don’t have children themselves or children in need of child care, most work closely with colleagues who do—or have friends and relatives who are impacted. When parents struggle to find reliable child care, workplace productivity suffers, businesses face higher turnover, and local economies feel the impact.

Reframing Child Care as a Public Good

New Mexico’s bold child care reforms—ranging from expanded subsidies to sustainable funding—offer a model for how states can build equitable, high-quality systems of care. Read the report here.

Child care stakeholders like policymakers, businesses, and families face a pivotal choice in shaping how child care is positioned in the national conversation. One approach is to make redistributive policies feel more like universal entitlements, similar to tax credits that benefit a wide range of income groups. States like New Mexico and Vermont have already taken steps in this direction, expanding child care subsidies to include middle- and upper-middle-class families, making these programs both popular and durable.

A more promising and transformative approach, however, may be to reframe child care as an essential public good—one that ensures a level playing field for all families. Early Learning Nation explores this concept in its article, “Flipping the Script on Universal Child Care,” noting that a shift toward viewing child care as an expected societal benefit similar to public schooling could help drive broader support and long-term sustainability. Indeed, this reframing has already contributed to the widespread adoption of universal pre-K policies in several states, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive child care system.

Pulling It All Together: A Path Forward for Rural Families

Both First Five Years Fund’s poll and the Early Learning Nation’s article point to the same core issue: child care is a public necessity, not just an individual burden. The First Five Years Fund poll highlights that a vast majority of voters, including conservatives, support increased federal funding for child care, recognizing its broader economic benefits. Similarly, Early Learning Nation makes the case for treating child care as a fundamental public good, much like public education, to ensure that all families—especially those in rural areas—have access to the care they need.

The message is clear: bipartisan support exists, the policy framework is forming, and now is the time to act. Expanding rural child care access isn’t just about helping parents. It’s about supporting local economies, strengthening communities, and ensuring a fair playing field for all children. Let’s work together to make child care a reality for every family, no matter where they live.

Strengthening Rural Pathways for Child Care

Rural families need solutions that fit their unique needs, whether it’s increasing funding for child care providers, expanding access to early learning programs, or creating incentives for businesses to support working parents. Rural Pathways is here to help by providing resources, funding opportunities, and connections to support child care providers and businesses in rural communities.

Take Action

Child Care Providers: Rural Pathways can help you access funding, grants, and resources to expand and sustain your child care program. Whether you need financial support, business guidance, or professional development, we’re here to assist.

Businesses: Partnering with child care providers can strengthen your workforce by ensuring employees have reliable child care options. Rural Pathways can help businesses develop child care partnerships, implement employer-sponsored programs, and explore tax incentives that benefit both companies and families.

Community Advocates: Contact your elected officials and urge them to support policies that invest in rural child care infrastructure. Help spread awareness about the need for sustainable, accessible child care solutions in rural areas.

Quality child care is essential for thriving rural communities.

By working together, we can create sustainable solutions that support families, strengthen local economies, and ensure every child has access to the care they need. Let’s build a future where rural families don’t have to choose between work and child care.

Join our network to stay informed, share your experiences, and work alongside others advocating for better child care access in rural communities.

Citation: Anderson, Charity & Gilpin, Staci. (2025). Child Care in Rural America Is a Non-Partisan Issue. Rural Pathways News.

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Child Care in Rural America Is a Non-Partisan Issue