connections www.rainbowtel.net 800-892-0163 FALL 2025 • VOLUME 13 • ISSUE 2 BUSINESS Doniphan Darlings Is Community at Its Best Technology Enhances Early Childhood Development 3 Spotlight on Doniphan Darlings 4 Managing Screen Time and Maintaining a Balance 6 Returning to Your Roots 7 Catherine Davis (left) and Makenzie Cunningham with students of Doniphan Darlings
2 Fall 2025 Business Connections is a publication of Rainbow Communications, 608 Main St., Everest, KS 66424. Editorial and Circulation Contact: Jackie Petersen 608 Main St. Everest, KS 66424 800.892.0163 x1105 Extra issues are available to business customer employees on a limited basis while supplies last. Contact: Jackie Petersen 608 Main St. Everest, KS 66424 800.892.0163 x1105 All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright® 2025 by Rainbow Communications and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. Postmaster send changes to: Jackie Petersen PO Box 147 Everest, KS 66424 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER What’s the relationship between children and technology? That’s the theme throughout this Fall 2025 Business Connections issue. It begins on page 3 with 5 Ways Technology Enhances Early Childhood Development. If you think a toddler using a tablet is just about entertainment, think again. This article explores technology’s impact on cognitive development, social learning, and more. Children are also the focus of the Business Spotlight on Doniphan Darlings found on pages 4 and 5. This daycare center in Highland opened in 2022 and serves children from infancy to age 12. Rainbow provides fiber Internet, and Program Director Mackenzie Cunningham shares how this connection is used for a wide variety of purposes, ranging from communication with staff and parents to music for the children. If you have children at home, check out page 6 for tips on Managing Screen Time and Maintaining a Balance. The key word is “balance,” since the goal is to maximize the positive impacts of technology while minimizing the negative ones. Page 7’s Returning to Your Roots features Dr. Chris Franken, owner of Franken Eye Clinic and Atchison Eye Center. He grew up in Kansas, and after completing his optometry education in Oklahoma, returned to the state for the personal and professional benefits of small town living. What makes you feel like a kid again? We hope it includes the excitement of new technologies and the possibilities they offer. Contact Rainbow if you need an Internet upgrade to support your plans. Sincerely, The Rainbow Customer Relations and Business Development Team connections BUSINESS First row: Suzanne Schuster, Julie Bergman, and Deanna Lanter Second row: Cheryl Moon, Jenny Haislip, and Jennifer Hermesch Third row: Angie Kreider, Jerad Enneking. and Madelyn Coleman Not pictured: Mikayla Parsons FALL 2025
BUSINESS connections Fall 2025 3 1. Cognitive Development Interactive educational apps and games can strengthen early literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills. For example, children exposed to literacy apps have been shown to demonstrate improved letter recognition and phonemic awareness compared to non-users. High-quality educational media can also boost vocabulary and comprehension. 2. Social and Emotional Learning Those video calls to grandparents can be more important than you might realize. They support emotional development and allow children to build communication and empathy skills, even at a distance. A University of Washington study found toddlers as young as 24 months can learn social cues effectively through live video chat. 3. Creativity and Self-Expression Digital creativity tools—such as drawing programs, music apps, and storytelling resources—give children new ways to express themselves, develop divergent thinking, and explore their imaginations. These are key components of creative development during the preschool years. 4. Accessibility and Inclusion Technology provides adaptive tools that help children with developmental delays or disabilities participate fully in learning. Assistive technologies like text-to-speech, visual schedules, and interactive touchscreens have been shown to improve engagement and communication in children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental differences. 5. STEM Curiosity From a young age, interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields can be nurtured through a child’s exposure to coding toys, robotics kits, and digital science simulations.The National Association for the Education of Young Children notes that hands-on technology experiences can promote logical thinking, sequencing, and experimentations, which are foundation skills for later success in science and math. Rainbow is proud to provide the fiber Internet our service area needs to take advantage of technology to boost development in early childhood and beyond. On pages 4 and 5, you’ll find more on this topic in the Business Spotlight on Doniphan Darlings, a daycare center in Highland. 5 Ways Technology Enhances Early Childhood Development Apps and other tools can do so much more than just entertain Long before children enter their formal school years, technology can positively impact their development. Research shows toddlers and preschoolers experience important growth as a result of using technology, as long as it’s intentional, age-appropriate, and balanced. Here’s an overview of the key development areas:
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 4 Fall 2025 This daycare center is an example of community at its best Meeting a Community Need After the closure of several in-home daycares, a group of local philanthropists got together in 2021 to discuss the possibility of helping to fill that void by providing much-needed childcare in Doniphan County. With assistance from USD 111, the idea of utilizing the Highland grade school building at 202 West Illinois Street as a daycare center became a reality—after researching the rules/regulations, communicating with many entities and individuals, acquiring funding, and getting the necessary licenses and permits. Doniphan Darlings offers a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment for children while their parents are working outside the home. Its mission states: “Doniphan Darlings is a group of community-minded individuals who are committed to the health, education, safety, and overall well-being of each child entrusted to our care.” Programs are available for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and children ages 6-12 who attend school full time and need care before and after school. A drop-in program for part-time care is also offered, subject to availability. On average, about 26 children attend Doniphan Darlings, and there are 14 teachers and five substitutes. Teamwork of Board, Staff, Parents, and Community ProgramDirector Mackenzie Cunningham is a Highland native whose passion for child welfare began with babysitting during college and earning a degree in social work. What is Cunningham most proud of when it comes to Doniphan Darlings? Doniphan Darlings Doniphan Darlings officially opened its doors to start serving families on July 11, 2022. However, the daycare center’s journey began in 2021. Cheryl Huff (left) and Sara Moore (far right) joins students of Doniphan Darlings for a story read by Rainbow employee, Taylor Jacobsen Makenzie Cunningham
Fall 2025 5 BUSINESS connections She replied, “I am absolutely most proud of the team that is coming together at Doniphan Darlings. The board pours their heart and soul into the well-being of each employee and child at the center. Our staffmembers are dreaming big about how we can serve our children in bigger ways. We couldn’t do this without the support from parents and without the generosity of the community that pours into us so well. We have graciously been given donations of toys, books, gently used clothing, baby necessities, and craft supplies over the years, and for that we’re so grateful. Even our contacts for the food program and state licensing are passionate and always willing to reach out with information to help us stay successful.” Rainbow’s Fiber Internet Is Essential Doniphan Darlings also needs fast and reliable fiber Internet to stay successful, which Rainbow provides. “We could not function without our fiber Internet connection from Rainbow. It’s the tool that allows our teamwork to flourish and the main way we stay connected with our partnering agencies, with each other in the building, and with our parents. We can keep each other up to date with pictures and messages about all the fun things happening,” Cunningham said. She continued, “Our center uses Brightwheel software for all parent and staff communication. We also use our Internet to playmusic to get our children grooving or help them sleep at naptime. It’s how we gather employment and family inquiries, gather our operational supplies with ordering, share all the things that are happening, communicate internally and externally, support other community partners, monitor and uphold our security for our children and staff, support our mission, and grow our center. There are some big ideas in the works, and it wouldn’t be possible without being connected to Rainbow’s fiber Internet.” When asked about the customer service and tech support that Doniphan Darlings receives from Rainbow, Cunningham noted, “I haven’t had a ton of experience with customer service and tech support because Rainbow provides QUALITY. However, when I’ve had a question, I always got a prompt response. And when I asked for a longer phone cord—something that was more of a luxury than a necessity—Rainbow brought and installed one that day.” If your business would like to donate to Doniphan Darlings, you can refer to the AmazonWish List at https://a.co/2beJGeb. We could not function without our fiber Internet connection from Rainbow. It’s the tool that allows our teamwork to flourish and the main way we stay connected with our partnering agencies, with each other in the building, and with our parents.” — MACKENZIE CUNNINGHAM, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DONIPHAN DARLINGS Makenzie Cunningham with students of Doniphan Darlings
6 Fall 2025 How much screen time is too much for children? And what’s the best way to balance the benefits of screen time with the problems it can potentially cause?The answers will vary from family to family, and even day to day, based on careful consideration of several factors. One of those factors is that screen time is a sedentary activity. When children are glued to the screen watching a TV show or playing games on a tablet, they’re not being physically active, and physical activity is a critical part of health. So, it’s important to make sure children put down their devices each day and get some form of exercise—outside in the fresh air if possible. Another consideration is the type of content children are engaging with during screen time. Without parental controls and guidance, children can be exposed to concerning content such as violence, negative stereotypes, inaccurate information, or cyberbully messages. This can lead to issues including trouble sleeping, anxiety and depression, and poor self-image. Beyond setting a defined limit of screen time hours allowed for each child depending on age, your family can take other steps to reduce screen time and its negative impacts: • Turn off screens during family meals. • Avoid using screens to stop temper tantrums. • P rioritize quality content, like educational programs or a live camera at a local zoo. • S hut off screens 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime to foster better sleep. • B e a rolemodel for your children by limiting your own screen time. • U nderstand and use the parental controls available with your household’s devices. • Talk to your children about online threats and how to stay safe. When managed well, screen time can also be beneficial to children. It can connect them to a range of educational opportunities, teach them new skills, enable them to stay in touch with friends and family, and provide much-needed ways to relax. Finding the right balance between screen time and other activities is key. You can create a Personalized Family Media Use Plan with help from the American Academy of Pediatrics at www.healthychildren.org/English/ media/Pages/default.aspx. Managing Screen Time and Maintaining a Balance
BUSINESS connections Fall 2025 7 We periodically highlight people in our community whose career path brought them back to their roots in northeast Kansas. This issue features Dr. Chris Franken, owner of Franken Eye Clinic and Atchison Eye Center. “I grew up in Bendena and went to school at Midway. It was a great childhood, growing up in a really small town. I would be out playing with my friends until dark most days, and we never worried about some of the safety concerns you have now in bigger cities. My life was centered around hunting, fishing, and sports,” Dr. Franken said. He is a 1998 graduate ofWashburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and went on to graduate fromNortheastern State University, College of Optometry in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 2002. After serving an externship in ocular disease at the Muskogee VA Hospital in Oklahoma, Dr. Franken returned to Kansas and opened Franken Eye Clinic in Troy. He later opened Atchison Eye Center. Franken said, “I wanted to practice in a small town and be around family. My wife, Kim, was pregnant with our first child when I graduated, and we knew we wanted to raise our family in a small, rural town near family.” What does Franken find most rewarding about practicing in the small towns of Atchison and Troy? He replied, “It’s the patients. I get to see grandparents, their kids, and grandkids. I’m able to develop a good relationship with my patients and look forward to seeing them each year to catch up on their lives. I’m also proud of my staff members that have been with me a long time. We all try to take care of our patients in the best way possible.” Similarly, Franken considers the people to be the biggest benefit of living in a small town. “We have a friendly community with good values. I’m glad my wife and I have raised our three kids in this area. They know right fromwrong and have common sense. I am proud of our community and look forward to continuing seeing patients and their families for years to come.” Returning to Your Roots Dr. Chris Franken (far right) and his family
Cornerstone Group©2025 FIBER INTERNET MAKES HOME VALUES GO UP According to the Fiber Broadband Association, homes with fiber Internet access have sold for as much as 4.9% more than homes without fiber access. What else goes up thanks to fiber? Internet speed goes up, business values go up, and interest in rentals goes up. Rainbow proudly provides fiber-to-the-home in our cooperative regions and is expanding our fiber reach in other communities. Things are definitely looking up! For fiber updates, visit www.fiber.rainbowtel.net.
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