Rainbows Changed Our Lives
“My whole journey started at Rainbows in 1978 when my husband, Walt and I adopted a little 5-day-old boy named Brandon,” said Margaret, Brandon’s mother. “He was just perfect.” As he grew, Margaret became concerned that Brandon was not progressing as quickly as other babies his age, and her sister noticed Brandon wasn’t following with […]
Is Your Baby Stressed Out?
Much research has shown that many parents (48%) believe that stress or stressful situations do not affect their baby before they turn one. This is actually not the case. Babies can often interpret and feel stress as early as one month old according to many studies. What are some signs that a baby might be […]
Powerhouse Team is Mission-Driven
“Did you know that approximately 10% of Rainbows’ revenue comes from fundraising efforts? These funds are crucial to carrying out our mission, as without our amazing donors and community partners we wouldn’t be able to serve the children. Vice President of Development Kelsi Hinshaw and the others on our Development team are dynamic – smart, […]
Mother’s career inspires teacher
“At a young age I fell in love with a career serving children who have special needs,” said Mary May, Assistant Teacher. “I watched my mother teach and help students growing up. I would volunteer and help her in any way that I could. I saw how much of a difference she made in their […]
Building Strong and Positive Bonds
Children learn about the world around them through positive parent-child/teacher-child relationships. As they grow and change, they look to their parents/teachers to determine whether they are safe, secure, and loved. This also prompts how they will build their future relationships. A secure attachment leads to healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and motivational development. Children can gain […]
Fashion, Talent and Arts Shows, and Field Trips, Too
Camp Woodchuck’s 50th Birthday-themed summer camp wrapped up a successful summer serving 36 youth, ages 6-21 years old, in an In-Home camp experience. This summer, Rainbows’ Direct Support Professionals provided children each week with a variety of hands-on structured activities and took them out into the community for field trips and special activities. The youth […]
Support Through Challenges Brings Confidence
Cheyenne Hancock, Direct Support Professional, joined the Rainbows’ team in June of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was all very new and nerve-racking to me,” said Cheyenne. “Everyone was having a hard time adjusting to the change, especially the kids, but during that first summer I got a lot of compliments […]
Building Meaningful Relationships
In May 2022, Ashley Burris graduated with her Master of Arts in teaching degree from Kansas State University. She also holds an undergraduate degree from Sterling College in Business Ministry (2019). Ashley joined Rainbows in June as a Camp Woodchuck direct support professional. “I truly just love the work Rainbows does and was excited to […]
Work experience helps granddaughter with autism
When Yolanda Castillo started working at Rainbows in 2000, she didn’t consider the possibility that her experience with children with special needs would someday help her in her family life. “When my granddaughter, Micah Luna, was diagnosed with autism, my experience working with children similar to her allowed me to help her and my son […]
Life changing, self-care strategies
Whether you are welcoming a newborn into the world, or are the parent(s) of a young child(ren), it is safe to say you are or have been dealing with quite a few changes and adjustments in your day-to-day life; such as changes in your sleep patterns, emotions and stress level, and overall changes in your […]
