The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) is pleased to announce the funding of a new North Central Region thematic, multi-state working group focused on rural childcare. This new group will bring together North Central Extension professionals to examine how Extension can best address the limited access to quality childcare in rural communities.
The working group revolves around the work of the North Central Quality Childcare (NCQC) Network. Established in 2023, the NCQC is a cohort of Extension professionals from the North Central Region who are interested in increasing the region’s quantity and quality of childcare opportunities. The working group consists of the NCQC membership which includes professionals from land-grant universities in nine North Central Region states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin).
In response to the limited access to quality childcare in rural communities, the new working group seeks to 1) solidify the presence of the North Central Quality Childcare (NCQC) Networking group, 2) conduct a comprehensive literature review and assessment of how North Central Extension is addressing the need for quality childcare, and 3) provide professional development through webinars and resources to increase the skills and knowledge needed to expand childcare access in rural communities.
Kelsie Muller, Purdue University and Principal Investigator of the working group shared, “Each member of the NCQC brings experience and expertise in research and/or outreach focused on childcare and early childhood education. This grant provides NCQC Network an opportunity to further our projects in support of the region’s Extension professionals working to expand rural childcare quality and access.
Project Summary: The childcare working group received a two-year grant from the NCRCRD totaling $34,980. The group will share their findings and progress with NCRCRD each year of the project and upon completion with the broader North Central Region in an NCRCRD-hosted webinar.
Project Title: The North Central Quality Childcare (NCQC) Network
Principal Investigator: Kelsie Muller, Purdue University
Start Date: September 1, 2025
NCRCRD Priority Area: Promoting Community Health and Wellness
NCRCRD offers multiple types of grants each year to enhance the ability of the North Central Region’s thirty-four land-grant institutions to positively influence the quality of life in the region’s rural areas. In addition to funding Thematic Working Groups, NCRCRD also offers Small Grants for Rural Development Research and/or Extension Projects and the NCR Extension Collaboration and Implementation Grant. For more information about these grant opportunities, visit: https://ncrcrd.ag.purdue.edu/funding-opportunities/grants-and-fellowships/
All grant submissions are reviewed by the NCRCRD advisory committee and based on their recommendations, the NCRCRD board selects the final recipients. With NCRCRD receiving core funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the grants are also reviewed and approved by the USDA for consistency with Federal guidelines.
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The North Central Regional Center for Rural (NCRCRD) is one of four Regional Rural Development Centers in the United States. NCRCRD’s work links the research and educational outreach capacity of our region’s 34 land-grant universities with our region’s communities, local decision-makers, entrepreneurs, families, farmers, and ranchers to help address a wide range of development issues unique to our 12-state region. NCRCRD promotes regional collaboration by elevating the research and extension programs in our region; offering grant opportunities to support new and ongoing regional research, extension, and integrated activities; establishing a North Central Region dataset to encourage regional exploration; and creating networking opportunities through webinars, sponsorships, and making introductions between our partners. For more information, please visit https://ncrcrd.org/.
NCRCRD receives core funds from the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) as well as from the North Central Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (NCRA), North Central Cooperatives of Extension Association (NCCEA), and Purdue University, College of Agriculture.