Evaluation Services:
Rainbows is an evaluation site for children birth to five who are experiencing developmental delays or handicapping conditions. An interdisciplinary team administers a comprehensive evaluation through an arena format. An individual plan (IFSP or IEP) is developed in cooperation with participating family members upon completion of the evaluation. A family service coordinator assists the family in identifying and accessing needed community services and resources. The outcome of the evaluation may or may not include ongoing services at Rainbows.

Hospital to Home Transition Services:
Community based support services through a Rainbows early childhood specialist are available to families of infants and toddlers with special needs preparing for hospital discharge. The specialist meets with the family and medical personnel upon request, participates in the discharge planning process and helps the family access community resources while providing ongoing support and guidance. Upon request, Brazelton (Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale) assessments are conducted on newborns with parents present to observe their infant's response to various stimuli.

Home Based Services:
Staff visitations to parents and their young child in the home setting is frequently the service delivery model preferred by families. One or more members of the early intervention team schedule family visits according to the plan of service identified in the child's individual family service plan (IFSP). In cooperation with the child's family, early interventionists identify the child's needs and develop a treatment plan that is responsive to the family's priorities and concerns. The family service coordinator assists families in locating and using available community resources and support services. Children enrolled in home based services may also participate in one of several small groups held weekly at a Rainbows' center and various other community locations.

Center Based Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Services:
Services are available year round to children birth to five through full day early education programs in five Rainbows' child care centers located throughout the city. Children with and without disabilities are enrolled to give children with widely varied abilities and needs an opportunity to interact with and learn from one another. The High/Scope curriculum, an approach that promotes development of self-confidence, resourcefulness, curiosity, independence and responsibility, provides a working framework for early childhood personnel.

Classrooms are staffed with early childhood special education teachers and paraeducators, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech/language pathologists who work alongside early childhood staff to incorporate therapy goals and objectives for each child into functional daily activities and learning experiences. This approach facilitates cross-training of staff and promotes carry-over of skills from one setting to another. Individual therapy sessions and hydrotherapy are provided as well, in accordance with the specific therapy needs of each child.

Support staff include professionals in the disciplines of social work and psychology. These specialists participate in the assessment of children and work individually with families to assure each child's total needs are addressed. Nursing staff and a developmental pediatrician monitor the health and safety of all program participants and contact the child's primary physician whenever medical concerns arise. Specialists in hearing impairment and vision impairment address the specific needs of children with significant hearing and/or vision loss. The agency contracts with other providers in the community for audiological services and nutrition services as needs are identified.

Nurseries, located next to the medical station in Rainbows facilities accommodate infants and young, medically fragile children who require out of home, full day care. Nursery staff include licensed practical nurses.

Outpatient Therapies/Small Groups:
Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy for young children with an identified need for intervention are available through Rainbows as stand alone services. Infants and toddlers may participate in scheduled small group sessions at designated sites along with their young siblings and parents.

Therapeutic Child Care:
Children participating in center based early intervention programs may receive care up to ten hours a day through their attendance site. Paraeducators who work alongside teachers during the educational portion of the child's day remain with the child during the therapeutic child care hours to assure carryover of objectives identified in each child's individual plan (IFSP or IEP). Oral motor therapy is an integral part of meals and snacks for children with identified needs in this area, while positioning techniques and adaptive equipment facilitate proper body alignment for children with physical disabilities. On call nursing services are available throughout the time children are in attendance.

Transportation:
Most children with disabilities who receive center based services depend on Rainbows' buses for transportation to and from their child care site. Morning, noon and afternoon bus routes enable children throughout the city to access center based services. Bus service is provided at no cost to the family. Parents who are able to transport their children are encouraged to do so.

Community Based Education and Training Services (CBETS):
A team of early interventionists consult with early childhood staff serving young children with special needs in family care homes, community based child care centers and preschools. Following a site visit and with parent permission, a multidisciplinary team conducts a comprehensive evaluation to determine the child's developmental status, and/or eligibility for early intervention services. Once needs are identified, an individual plan is developed to facilitate the child's opportunities for success in his current environment. The CBETS team also offers on-site presentations and conducts day long workshops for those interested in learning more about working with children with special needs in their settings.

Parent Support:
Activities that promote interactions among parents, their children and those who work with them are numerous and varied. Topic oriented parent meetings, committee assignments, social gatherings, field trips, classroom volunteer opportunities, open houses, parent newsletters and parent/child therapy groups are among the ways parents and family members can be involved in ongoing programs and services.

Connecting Point:
Connecting Point, a project of the Sedgwick County Early Childhood Coordinating Council, is housed at the Rainbows United Family Enrichment Center. Connecting Point provides staff support to the Council and its various task forces. The project promotes awareness of the value of early intervention and provides information about early childhood services in the community for children birth to five with special needs. Monthly interagency community screening clinics and Kid-Talk, a community resource library on early childhood topics, and promote community awareness of the value of early intervention are among the activities Connecting Point sponsors.

Bright Beginnings:
Rainbows is lead and fiscal agency for Infant/Toddler services in Butler County. Offices are located in El Dorado where program staff coordinate screenings, evaluations and early intervention services in the home and community settings for infants and toddlers. Service options include home based services, small groups, outpatient therapies, and consultation with area child care providers serving children with special needs alongside typically developing peers in family day care homes, preschools and child care centers.

Respite Care Services:
These services offer a "respite" (a break from) full time care for families whose members include an individual with developmental disabilities living in the home. Respite care also gives the individual with a disability an opportunity to develop a trusting relationship with someone outside the family and to experience a change in routine. Respite care may be provided in the home of the consumer or the provider, at a Rainbows facility during scheduled times, or at a location selected in cooperation with other organizations serving individuals with disabilities.

Home and Community Based Services (HCBS):
These services are available to children between five and 21 with mental retardation and/or severe multiple developmental disabilities of a chronic nature. A developmental disability profile assessment is administered to determine eligibility. The child's family must qualify financially for the program. Services may include targeted case management, supportive home care, temporary and/or emergency respite, overnight respite, supported family living, home modifications and van lifts.

Child Placement Services:
Case managers at Rainbows conduct training, licensed families provide supported family living homes, place children in need of care outside their own homes, monitor placements, and provide ongoing support.

Sedgwick County Flex Fund Management: Case managers collect application information for specialized equipment needed by children with disabilities under five, present requests for funding, process orders and distribute equipment upon receipt.