Child growth and development happens within the social, cultural, political, environmental and economic contexts of a particular “place.” This broad context is often unacknowledged by researchers and policy makers who describe best practice in the field as if “one size fits all.” In this article, the practice of an early interventionist in a rural community is described as embedded in family and community in order to consider the impact of “ruralness” on practice. Collaboration with family and child service professionals and others who work to improve the economic health of rural communities is considered important.
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