Our Work for Children in the U.S.
Across rural America, where one in 5 children live in poverty, families face significant challenges accessing vital resources and essential services like child care, quality education and economic opportunity. That's why Save the Children partners with rural communities, and has for over 90 years, to help children thrive—from early learning and Head Start to disaster recovery.
Your donation to Save the Children can help deliver critical aid to the most vulnerable kids in rural America.
Learn More About Our Programs in the U.S.
Save the Children's Rural Child Well-Being Dashboards: Understanding Childhood in Rural America
Explore the lives of rural America’s children and families with Save the Children’s Rural Child Well-Being Dashboards. See how well-being in your state compares to the nation, or investigate specific research topics and data, including children’s reading proficiency, poverty, food security, childcare access and much more.
- Rural children in grades 3 through 8 are half a grade-level behind their non-rural peers in reading, on average (across the 39 states where nationally comparable test scores were available).
- Rural kids are 23% more likely to live in poverty than their non-rural peers
- Nationally, 40% of rural children are eligible for free and reduced-price meals at school, and they are more likely to grow up food insecure in 43 states.
- Within a 30-minute drive, most rural children don't have access to a single childcare center, while non-rural kids have access to nearly 5 centers.
Updated: August 2026