Жительница Кирксвилля вошла в первую группу исследователей по проблемам экономики сельских районов

A Kirksville resident has been chosen for the inaugural class of a new fellowship aimed at tackling economic and workforce challenges in rural communities across the region. Carolyn Chrisman, owner and principal consultant of Chrisman Consulting LLC, is one of six researchers selected for United WE's Rural Research Fellowship, a multi-year initiative backed by the Patterson Family Foundation. Chrisman's project, "Beyond Market Rates: Applying a Cost-of-Care Framework to Rural Childcare Providers in Missouri," will examine the true cost of operating licensed childcare in rural Missouri and compare it against what providers actually charge parents and receive through state subsidies. The fellowship drew 62 applications for six spots. United WE, a Kansas City-based nonprofit focused on increasing women's labor force participation, described the goal of the program as turning local, on-the-ground research into practical strategies that rural leaders and policymakers can use. "Rural communities are not a footnote in America's economic future," United WE President and CEO Wendy Doyle said in a statement announcing the cohort. "They are where some of the country's most urgent workforce challenges — and some of its most promising solutions — are taking shape." Chrisman's research will give providers, policymakers, employers and funders clearer evidence to guide childcare investment and reimbursement policy, according to the announcement. Patterson Family Foundation President and CEO Maria Flynn said the foundation's investment supports researchers examining issues including childcare, health care access, workforce development, local government capacity and community investment across Kansas and Missouri. The other fellows in the inaugural cohort are studying rural local government staffing, community-owned capital systems, migration patterns tied to quality-of-life factors, and expanded scope-of-practice rules for nurses in underserved areas. Fellows will present their findings at a research symposium hosted by United WE in the summer of 2027.