Parents' Part C Experiences in Rural Areas: Alignment With Recommended Practices.
Rural Part C quality hinges on which kind of provider knocks on the door.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mukherjee et al. (2021) talked with rural parents about Part C early-intervention services.
They asked how well those services match the practices DEC says should happen.
The team recorded parent stories and looked for patterns across provider types.
What they found
Parents said some providers follow DEC rules, others do not.
The mix of good and poor fit showed up clearly in rural areas.
Provider type—teacher, therapist, nurse—made the difference.
How this fits with other research
Shawler et al. (2021) also listened to rural parents of kids with ASD.
They found recreation staff lack autism safety training, extending the idea that rural services are uneven.
Fortney et al. (2021) looked at adults with IDD and saw the same rural health-care gaps, showing the problem lasts past preschool.
Ledbetter-Cho et al. (2023) watched Part C providers deliver Project ImPACT.
Fidelity varied widely, backing the new finding that provider type shapes quality.
Why it matters
You can’t assume every rural Part C slot is “good enough.” Ask the parent which provider type visits and how family-centered the session feels. If it’s weak, request a different discipline or add coaching. One quick swap can lift alignment with DEC practices without extra miles on the road.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) clearly outlined recommended practices for the provision of Part C services. However, there may be challenges in rural areas associated with services aligning with these recommended practices. Therefore, this study focuses on how families experience Part C services and the extent to which services align with specific areas the DEC recommended practices in the large, rural state of Montana. We interviewed parents (N = 30) about their children's Part C services. Deductive qualitative content analysis was used. Parents' reports suggest that while some aspects of their Part C services align with specific recommended practices, others do not. There were some meaningful differences regarding alignment with these recommended practices depending on type of provider being described. The environments in which services take place are discussed, as these may influence aspects of collaboration and building family capacity.
Journal of early intervention, 2021 · doi:10.1044/leader.FTR2.13042008.14