The Treehouse Trio: Giving Necessities, Education and Love

The Treehouse is for moms of all kinds.

Moms who are lacking basic necessities.

Moms who need infant care and parenting skills.

Teenage moms who just learned they are expecting.

Forty-something pregnant moms who thought their childbearing days were behind them.

Moms who don’t have a supportive partner.

Moms who just need a little extra love and care.

Located in the heart of Wichita near Douglas and Volutsia, The Treehouse has been helping expecting moms and those with infants for over 20 years, making sure that no woman walks through the maternal season of her life alone. The nonprofit organization, started by the Wichita Orthodox Christian Church community, said the ICT community at large has been a big part of why they’ve been able to carry on the mission so faithfully for two decades. Without grants and financial support from churches and organizations such as American AgCredit, Lattner Family Foundation, Spirit, Cargill and Junior League of Wichita, The Treehouse wouldn’t be able to offer their services and programs free of charge to local moms and families.

“We partner with a lot of different community organizations — everyone from the K-State Research and Extension Office offering classes on food and nutrition, to the Child Advocacy Center of Kansas and Wichita Family Crisis Center, to Intrust Bank offering practical financial information through the Money Smarts program,” said Karey Padding of Wichita, the group’s executive director. “We also receive support from many local churches that volunteer their time and talents. We really try to pull from the community, because it helps them see who we are and what we do. But it also gets people from the community into our building and shows our Treehouse moms that people care and want to help them.”

Wichita moms who are expecting or have a newborn receive education, guidance and parenting support, based on an Earn While You Learn design. As moms take classes on a multitude of topics such as pregnancy health, positive parenting, life skills and spiritual growth, they can earn necessities like diapers, wipes, formula, baby bucks to shop at the onsite thrift store, and even household cleaning supplies. Daily classes or “mommy meetings” are offered in person, in English and Spanish, with free childcare available in the onsite playroom for children 1–5 years of age.

Moms can also access over 150-plus videos through a videostreaming service called BrightCourse. “This is a great way for moms to view a variety of information if they can’t make it to class or have work obligations, but still earn those much-needed incentives,” Padding said. Court-approved parenting classes, such as Strengthening Families or Better Brains for Babies, are also available at The Treehouse, free of charge.

“We receive referrals from crisis pregnancy centers, the hospitals and clinics, schools, and other organizations,” Padding said. “But people also find us on social media, and moms bring other moms in.”

Padding’s favorite testimonials are The Treehouse moms who received help from the organization and are now volunteering — and some even helping to lead classes. “I’ve been really impressed with the moms who have participated in our services, stepping up and volunteering now. We have several moms who started out as Treehouse moms but now truly love to volunteer, help out in the thrift store or sorting room, and even interpret for us. They began by receiving help but have grown into being able to offer help to someone else.”