Established in 2000, Rainbow Songs provides diverse, exciting and interactive music programs that focus on musical development for infants and their parents. Currently, Rainbow Songs offers music programs to 500 families in Toronto.

As a new initiative, Rainbow Songs provided music programs for families in a number of shelters across Toronto. These included Robertson House (Sherbourne and Gerrard), Family Residence (Kingston/Galloway), The Red Door Family Shelter (Queen and Logan), Beatrice House (Rogers and Old Weston Road) and Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers (Parliament and Queen).

The classes met once a week for 40 minutes and participants learned a repertoire of 25-30 songs over a 12-week period. This repertoire provided families with material they can continue to use to enrich their lives after the classes are over. The songs included movement, clapping, drumming and the use of a variety of instruments. The combination of movement and actions with songs encourages literacy and numeracy.

The project ensured that in some small way, music, joy and laughter were brought into the lives of the children that live in Toronto's shelters.