A future for rural child care may be found inside the Pine Valley Central School. Since the fall, the district has unveiled a prekindergarten setting for children ages 4 and 3 ands a center for ages six months and up to support working families in the community returning to work.

So far, the effort is showing promise. “Our goal moving forward is to make sure the community — and neighboring communities — know this resource is here, and they start to use it,” Superintendent Bryna Moritz said. “(That way) we can make sure that it stays in this district and our provider can provide a livable, comfortable wage for their employees.”

Rural regions in Chautauqua County are child care deserts. What Pine Valley is doing is going outside the box by having the district offer a site for working parents with young children. It also is likely — since the district is taxpayer funded — to be more affordable.

Having care at the school does require additional hurdles that include new fire inspections and fingerprint clearances. Those sound simple, but can be big lifts.

In any event, the South Dayton community is fortunate to have this option. Other school districts, we’re sure, are watching.