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 […]
DiGiovanni Family Celebrates
“The path, the journey we’ve been on, it all started at one place -Rainbows.” As a 10-year-old volunteering with her mother at Blarney Breakfast, Gretchen DiGiovanni had no idea the impact Rainbows United would someday have on her family. Gretchen’s parents, Dick and Carol Rohloff, are long-time supporters of Rainbows. Gretchen continued to be a […]
The Power of Potential
“Oh the Places You’ll Go”, the theme for Pre-Kindergarten Graduation 2022, always makes me think of one word – “potential”. Potential, from the Latin potentia “power,” describes something or someone that has the power to become something. As Program Coordinator for Rainbows’ Early Care and Education Program, I’m blessed to have a position that lets […]
Celebration of Learning
The Dolan boys are all members of the Rainbows’ family. Ethan, 7, Austin, 5, Logan, 3 and Braden, 3 months, have spent time in every classroom at Kids’ Point Early Care and Education Program. This year, Austin will graduate from Pre-K and join his brother Ethan at school. The family got connected with Rainbows nearly […]
Pre-K Teacher Shares Love of Music With Children
When Mackenzie Tilma, Assistant Teacher, is in the classroom, you are likely to hear the happy notes of…A UKELELE? “I always like when the children get excited when I bring my ukulele to play songs for them,” said Mackenzie. “They are always suggesting songs I need to learn to play. We keep multiple toy ukuleles […]
Laura and Leo tell their story
It was 1988 and after 2 weeks in the NICU, Laura was sent home with her parents, Jane and Randy who were completely unprepared on how to help their daughter. Laura was born with cerebral palsy and visual impairment. When Laura was 5 months old, a friend told them they needed to call Rainbows. The […]
Is my child too sick to go to child care?
Rainbows is thrilled to have the expertise in-house that a Registered Nurse offers, as the children, families, and staff of Rainbows benefit. Kathleen “Kat” Sauber, RN, received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Wichita State University. Before joining Rainbows, she was an RN at Wesley Medical Center on the Labor and Delivery Unit. In […]
Person-first Language = Dignity and Respect
Person-first Language is a form of speaking and writing that puts the person before their disability or diagnosis. It provides the understanding that they are multifaceted and that their diagnosis or disability is just one aspect of them that contributes to their identity. Person-first language, also referred to as people-first language, is about dignity and […]
A Solid Foundation to Grow
Do you remember this little curly-haired girl with the winning smile? Diagnosed with Chromosome 16P11-2 Micro-deletion Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder in May 2013, her parents were first told that she may not really talk and have a lot of difficulty expressing herself. “Now ten-years-old, she enjoys talking A LOT,” said Kim, Sophia’s mom. “Sophia […]
Megan’s Story 2002-2006
A successful Wichita State University student, Megan Bailey is 20 years old and pursuing a career in Speech Language Pathology. Megan knows a lot about speech and other developmental therapies because she’s experienced most of them. Born with poor hearing, astigmatism, Cerebral Palsy with diplegia, and low birth weight, Megan benefitted from therapies since she […]
