The Childcare and Farm Children's Safety Conundrum

Abstract

What stops farm families from adopting safety practices despite knowing about dangers on the farm? This is a key tension that scholars have worked to resolve to tackle persistently high rates of farm injuries. Using the socio‐ecological model and data from focus groups and a photovoice activity with respectively 68 and 33 farm women from three U.S. states, we used the example of childcare to map out the multiplicity of factors shaping the use of a recommended child safety practice. Participants constantly pointed to the multiplicity of factors they considered. While primary caregivers ultimately made the decisions, practical considerations connected to meso and macro level factors appeared most influential. While limited, variations related to the childcare landscape across the study states highlight the previously underappreciated role of institutional arrangements in shaping farm safety decisions. Contrary to the common portrayal that farm families do not want help, many participants expressed a desire for more childcare options and financial support. While follow‐up studies based on larger samples are needed, implications from the findings are two‐fold. Related to farm safety programming, they suggest the importance of framing focused on practical solutions. From a policy perspective, addressing childcare supply challenges may be more effective in reducing farm children's injuries than regulatory and punitive measures.