Rainbow's Family Child Care system provides care for children in the homes of licensed providers. Currently, the program services over 60 children in 15 homes which are located throughout the City of Worcester. All providers are Rainbow employees, each having 4-6 children in their care. Substitute care is provided to families by one of our other providers, when a child's regular provider is sick or on vacation.
Our program philosophy is to provide high quality, developmentally appropriate care to support and encourage the maximum development of each child. Our system provides children with small group settings where they can be nurtured and kept safe while being provided with stimulating play activities to help them learn and develop social skills. The early start in the stable, home environment of our providers is critical, we feel, to the future of the children in our care.
It is our providers' responsibility to provide a safe, calm and supportive learning environment for children by maintaining ample space for play, rest and easy access to toys and other equipment. The program's curriculum is developed in accordance with the developmental stages of the children. In addition to serving nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack) in accordance with Bureau of Nutrition requirements, the daily routine for a child in the family child-care setting includes free play periods, toileting and wash-up time, story time, rest time and outdoor play time. The program attempts to achieve the following characteristics in our children: positive self-image; an understanding of self and environment; imagination; creative thinking and problem solving skills; independence; cognitive and language development; social skills; and motor skills.
Providers work with the children's families by sharing information on their children's growth and development through individual parent conferences and written progress reports. Our objective in working with parents is to not only share information on a child's educational and developmental progress, but to also assist the parent in developing their parenting skills.
Our providers
and agency staff work closely to identify special needs of our children
and their families and to provide services by collaborating with counseling,
social service and therapeutic agencies. Early intervention services
are a critical part of our children's growth and development.
