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“It
is important to remember that just because poor kids in rural
The ten counties with the highest poverty rates for children in Oklahoma are all rural. In Arkansas, nine of the ten poorest counties are rural. The impact of poverty on children living in urban areas has been the subject of extensive studies. Though rural children in poverty experience many of the same hardships – hunger, poor housing, limited educational options, lack of access to health services — their basic needs have not received the same amount of attention. The Rural Kids Count project, a partnership between the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy and the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, explored the challenges faced by families and children living in poverty in rural areas. The project, funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, conducted research on the circumstances affecting family economic success in diverse rural communities of Oklahoma and Arkansas. The report prepared from this research blends the stories gathered from focus groups and interviews with data and statistics. It provides a detailed and compelling picture of daily life that is valuable in shaping programs and policies to improve the lives of rural poor children and youth and strengthen their families. An important part of the project was gathering information from rural parents and youth about their health, education, economic and social service needs. Overall, rural Oklahomans and Arkansans demonstrated a strong sense of connectedness, with close ties to their friends and neighbors, and most of all, family. Family is why many people live and stay in rural communities. Rural residents are also strongly connected to their communities, churches, schools and the land. This connectedness provides the bonding necessary to enable rural communities to come together for collective action and positive change. Of
the rural county population in Listening and Learning Rural residents detailed, and statistics documented, several major concerns:
While concerns expressed by rural families may not differ from those of non-rural families, rural problems are exacerbated by isolation and distance.
Connecting to Counties A total of seven focus groups were held in four Oklahoma counties (Choctaw, Harmon, Harper, Seminole) and three Arkansas counties (Pike, Searcy, Woodruff). One focus group in Oklahoma was made up of youth only, which added a valuable perspective about the realities of growing up in rural communities. The 75 focus group participants ranged in age from 13 to 68 years, with an average age of 30.5 years. One-on-one interviews were conducted in rural communities in the two states with key individuals who were knowledgeable about their communities. These “key informant” interviews were conducted in each of the counties where focus groups were held. The interviews included health professionals, school personnel, business owners, state legislators, bankers, law enforcement personnel, ministers, service providers, judges and mayors. Visits were made to the homes of two mothers living in extreme poverty in rural Oklahoma. While these interviews comprised a small portion of the information gathered, their perspectives were extremely insightful. They shared their opinions from the familiarity of their own homes and took advantage of the opportunity to speak very candidly.
Conclusion Throughout history, rural communities have demonstrated their strength and resiliency, whether responding to changing economic conditions or acts of nature. They continue to rely upon those assets today, as they struggle with current economic and social difficulties. Strength and resiliency characterize the individual and collective attributes that will improve the opportunities and brighten the outlook for children in rural areas, attributes critical to creating a sustainable future for rural Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Recommendations
Special Thanks Our thanks to The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) for funding the study and to First United Bank of Durant, OK and the Union Pacific Foundation for publication assistance. We also appreciate the sites whose prior work with AECF provided guidance for our project: Great Plains Collaborative (ND, SD, NE); Northwest Rural Communities Project (OR, WA); The Southern Rural Family Strengthening Project (AL, KY, TN); and the Northern New England Project (ME, NH, VT).
More Online Information related to Children-At-Risk.
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Download the full Rural Kids Count Report in PDF Format: Intro Pages 1-7: Acknowledgements, Introduction, Background, Defining "Rural" Pages 8-13: Collecting Information, Emerging Themes Pages 14-20: Profiles of Rural Residents Pages 21-31: Rural Life Narrative Pages 32-42: Rural Life Narrative, continued Pages 43-53: Rural Life Narrative, continued Pages 54-58: Conclusion, Recommendations, Bibliography Pages 59-67: Attachments
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