Understanding the Difference Between Fantasy and Reality
October marks the beginning of Fall. It is a wonderful time of learning and fun in early childhood. We have the opportunity to experience new temperatures, falling leaves, trips to the pumpkin patch, hot cider and of course, Halloween. Children and adults alike enjoy Halloween. The yearly ritual of looking for costumes, dressing up, trips […]
Helping Your Child Manage Angry Feelings
Being a parent is often a rewarding experience, however it also comes with challenges. One of the struggles parents of toddlers often experience is dealing with their child’s big emotions, especially anger. When a young child becomes angry, they often engage in negative behaviors such as hitting, screaming, or throwing things. Although we want to […]
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 […]
Preventing and Calming a Melt Down
Melt downs are something that every child experiences at least once and awhile. Melt downs occur when a child is overcharged and overwhelmed. Children are typically not able to stop a tantrum or a meltdown until they are worn out. However, we as adults can do so much to help a child in the middle […]
Mental Health Specialist Kara Koepplin
A Day in the Life of Kara Koepplin, LMSW, a TOP Mental Health Specialist My name is Kara Koepplin and I am a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). I started working at Rainbows in January of 2019. My role at Rainbows is a Mental Health Specialist working at a community childcare center, TOP Early Learning […]
Building Brain Power: Infants & Toddlers need connection
As a Mental Health Specialist at Rainbows United, I have the privilege of working with children ages birth to 3 and their families. I often stress the importance of building attachment or connection with children in order to decrease unwanted behaviors. While this is true, in this article I want to elaborate on the importance […]
Nurturing Grace
“I will always be indebted to all the Rainbows’ staff who have shared advice and assistance with me. They have encouraged Grace to meet her gross/fine motor skills, feeding abilities, attachment and bonding, social and cognitive developmental milestones, and helped me meet her needs for care such as getting her dressed and diaper changes,” said […]
The Correlation Between Social/Emotional Skills and Academic Success
Over the past several years, there has been mounting evidence that shows the correlation between social emotional skills, self-regulation skills and academic achievement. For many years, so much attention had been placed on cognitive development, academic performance, “No Child Left Behind” standards, without truly emphasizing the importance of teaching social, emotional and self-regulation skills first. […]
Lights, Camera, Graduation!
Lights, Camera, Graduation! The theme for Pre-K Graduation this year was a red carpet celebration of achievements. In a year that has been remarkably different than most of us have ever known, I wondered what the ceremony had in store for everyone. The answer is it had a little bit of everything, in all the […]
Children’s Mental Health
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) are potentially traumatic events experienced in childhood. Experiencing traumatic events in childhood is linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (“Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences”, 2019), about 61% of adults report experiencing at least one type of […]
