Kids Are Kids! Therapy and Education Centre was established to provide a range of specialist therapy services to children aged 0-13yrs. The founders of Kids Are Kids! were a group of four professionals working in the area of disability.

The idea was conceived in 1996 with the organisation becoming officially incorporated in 1997 and operational at the old Bateman Child Health Centre in late 1998.  Services then expanded next door into the old Bateman pre-primary centre in 2000.

To provide a choice

At the time Kids Are Kids! was founded there were limited choices available for families that had children with difficulties and disabilities to source professional therapy services.  Families accessing government funded services were often unable to source appropriate private services who were used to the challenges facing their children. Additionally, families unable to access government services often faced difficulty sourcing appropriate services for their children. The organisation was formed to give families a choice in the services they could receive.

To provide access to quality services at the lowest possible cost

When a child has long term therapy needs there is often a significant financial burden placed on the family to cover the on-going costs of accessing private therapy services. Kids Are Kids! was formed with the aim of closing the gap between government funded and private therapy agencies making services more accessible to families.
Kids Are Kids! was established as a non-profit organisation so that the cost of services could be kept to a minimum through sourcing of grants, donations and sponsorship.  Kids Are Kids! continues to  seek funding from government and non government sources to fully or partially fund the cost of services.

To  provide an inclusive service

Historically it was observed that many agencies had very specific entry criteria which children had to meet in order to access services.  Kids Are Kids! wanted to ensure that ANY child with ANY learning or social difficulties and/or disability could access quality services.

To provide families with access to holistic therapy services

It was recognised that often children with difficulty in one skill area also experienced difficulties in other skill areas.  This meant that families had to go to several different places to receive their therapy services.  By providing speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology and educational consultancy services in the one place, families can receive a co-ordinated approach to their child’s intervention.

Kids Are Kids! now and into the future

In the future we will continue to strive;

• To provide a quality service that is accessible to all families.
• To provide information for families and those working with children, who have additional needs, in a way that is meaningful for all.
• To be a service provider that is responsive to the individual needs of families and the community in large.
• To continue to strengthen our associations with local community organisations and service providers to promote a holistic service.