Free Developmental Screenings for children birth to five years old

Connecting Point is a project of the Sedgwick County Early Childhood Coordinating Council, which strives to improve the quality of early childhood services and reflect the diversity of the community. Screen for Success is provided by Wichita Public Schools and Rainbows United, Inc.- Connecting Point, and connects children and families to community resources. The screening […]

Uncertainty replaced with reassurance

“With the support of our Rainbows care team, Henry is meeting all of his developmental goals at 13 months old and is making exceptional progress,” said his dad, Alex. These are vastly different than the feelings Alex and his wife, Aubrey experienced before being discharged from the hospital with a newborn who had a skull […]

Eating Can Be Complicated

Supporting parents helping their littles learn to eat has been one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of my job as an early intervention provider. Eating can be emotionally loaded for caregivers-we can all feel a special kind of frustration (and failure) when our littles don’t eat the way or the amount we think […]

Let’s Talk About Cars

When William Thomas received speech therapy from his Rainbows’ therapist Rebecca Paden, his big sister Lillian was included. “Rebecca was always so kind to Lillian during William’s visits,” said Margaret, William and Lillian’s mother. “She could not have been easier for my children to connect with.” The family’s pediatrician recommended the family get in touch […]

Twins Defy Odds and Flourish

On January 7th, 2021, twins Silas and Adeline came into the world via an emergency c-section. Born at only 22 weeks, 6 days gestation, doctors gave them an 8% chance of survival, weighing only one pound each. Parents, Eric and Kim, were warned of the potential for stillbirth, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and generally a […]

Q&A with Kayla Cary, Infant/Toddler Services

Infant/Toddler Services Overview Rainbows’ Infant/Toddler Services (ITS) are available for children birth to 3 years old at no cost to families.  Kayla Cary, Sedgwick County ITS Coordinator answers questions about the program and how to connect for services. How many children are served in Sedgwick County ITS? We are currently serving1046 children birth to 3 […]

3 Reasons to Call Rainbows

As someone who has worked at Rainbows for 30 years, I can say the number 1 reason parents call Rainbows is because their child is not developing like other children their age or like other siblings in the family. 2. Maybe the parent is a first-time parent and is not aware of what developmental milestones […]

Don’t Worry, Call Rainbows!

Leer en Español May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, and as a speech language pathologist with Rainbows United, I am so excited to share my mantra with you: Don’t worry, Call Rainbows! This is what I say to parents who approach me and tell me they are worried about their child’s speech development. “Does […]

Never Give Up

Born weighing 1 pound, 8 ounces, Theron is a former “23 Weeker” who wasn’t given much hope on making it to his first birthday. He spent 144 days in the NICU and had a total of 5 brain surgeries plus 2 eye surgeries. Theron has hydrocephalus as well as cerebral palsy. His parents, Raven and […]

6 Things To Know About Early Intervention Services

Leer en Español When the Rainbows’ evaluation teams share results with families, some families may be happy that there is someone who can validate their concerns, while others might be discouraged because the hope for a “typical” child took a different course than they planned. Since I am an Early Interventionist that might be working […]