PURPOSE & PROGRAMS
Rainbow Child Development Center is a licensed, non-profit child care agency working collaboratively within the community. Our mission is to provide education and therapeutic services to children and families in a safe and nurturing environment where children learn and grow to reach their individual potential and families receive encouragement and services to support their children's development.
The agency has been located in "Plumley Village," a housing development for low income families, since its founding in 1972. Rainbow provides care, education and therapeutic services to children from the age of six weeks to 13. Since its inception the Center has provided subsidized childcare to low-income families who meet State income eligibility guidelines and have a need to for child care services. Approximately 200 children are enrolled in the Center's programs. Twenty-five percent of these children are referred by the Department of Social Services. Ethnic population of the children and families served by the agency includes 53 percent Hispanic, 21 percent Afro-American, 11 percent Bi-racial and 15 percent White.
Currently, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through contracts with the Office of Child Care Services for subsidized childcare funds ninety percent of the agency budget. The balance of Rainbow's funds comes from client fees, United Way, grants, and contributions.
The focus of the Center is to provide learning within a supportive and safe environment that will allow children to develop and grow through participation and self-expression in order to meet their individual needs. In addition to care and education programs, therapeutic services are provided including early intervention for children up to the age of 3, speech development, play, individual and group therapy for preschool children and individual and group therapy for children enrolled in the school age program. The agency collaborates with a number of community agencies and is also supported by volunteers and interns from area secondary schools, colleges, and universities.
