This special America After 3PM report, The Growing Importance of Afterschool in Rural Communities, takes a closer look at the afterschool experience for children living in rural communities. Earlier America After 3PM reports examined how children spend the hours after school, documenting the participation in afterschool programs, the unmet demand for programs, program offerings and barriers to participation at a national level. This special report focuses on the hours after school for children and families living in rural communities, and how they compare to children and families outside of rural communities. This report also serves to examine the ways programs are increasing opportunity in these often underserved and overlooked communities, and what more can be done to make certain that all children, regardless of geographic location, are given the array of supports they need to achieve their full potential. (author abstract)