About Us | History
At Rainbow Station...Teachers and Nurses Partner with Parents to Promote the Success of Each Child.
Setting the Standard
Since its beginning in 1989, Rainbow Station has consistently defined itself as a leader in early education and school-age recreation. With unique concepts like PLAYWORKS©, which teaches our Preschoolers how to play and interact with other children, we have created initiatives that continually raise the bar for preschools on a national level. It all started with one novel idea. And the standard of excellence continues.
The First Idea: Emergency Backup Care
Rainbow Station and its founder Gail W. Johnson, RN, MSN, both got their start in nursing. While on the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, Gail saw firsthand how families struggled and went into crisis mode when their children had acute or chronic health conditions. A major crisis contributor was the lack of support services for these children when parents had to return to work.
As a solution, Gail created the Get Well Place at Rainbow Station to provide valuable assistance for working parents with mildly ill children — a support for the entire community, regardless of whether children are enrolled at the school. Here, a full-time pediatric nurse cares for children so parents can be productive at work. As an additional benefit, nurses are always there should children need care during the school day. Even more than 20 years later, the idea of full-time, on-site nursing care at a preschool remains exceptional.
The Second Idea: A School-Age Recreation Program
Gail and her team also conceived The Village, a unique school-age recreation program. In years past, children played freely in their neighborhoods and safely participated in various recreational options after school and on summer break. Reminiscent of those days, The Village creates an atmosphere in which children are free and safe, and participate in age-appropriate activities in a fun, stimulating environment staffed by professional teachers. The Village was an exciting breakthrough — it's the all-encompassing afterschool and summer recreation program today's families need!
The Third Idea: Becoming the First Leadership Preschool
Rainbow Station is proud to be the first "Leadership Preschool" in the United States, based on adopting the nationally acclaimed initiatives outlined in Sean Covey's "7 Habits of Happy Kids," which focuses on leadership development beyond academics. This is a new paradigm of modern leadership where every student is nurtured as a leader, and our teachers are equipped with proven tools to instill a deep sense of responsibility and personal leadership accountability in their students. Our "learn early, learn well, and lead" philosophy helps children become successful 21st century citizens with skills in areas like synergy, responsibility, and balance that will be foundational for their future success.
No other school for early education and school-age recreation offers Rainbow Station's full spectrum of care for the whole child — from academics and health to leading-edge leadership development initiatives — with on-site care by a pediatric nurse.
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