About KidsAbility

The work of KidsAbility began in 1923 when the Kitchener-Waterloo Rotary Club was established and its members dedicated themselves to “supporting crippled children.” This began an impressive history of volunteerism – transporting children to Toronto for therapy or surgeries, fundraising for equipment, organizing medical clinics, and annual fishing and Christmas parties. Local Rotarians created KidsAbility as a new organization (then called “Rotary Children’s Centre”) in 1957. KidsAbility has been supported by local Rotarians since that time.

Throughout its 50-year history, KidsAbility has expanded its range of services in order to meet the changing special needs of the children of its communities. KidsAbility has been accredited as a children’s rehabilitation organization since 1988.

KidsAbility currently provides a variety of rehabilitation, health, medical and educational services to over 4,000 children and youth with special needs from Waterloo Region and Wellington County.  Its service delivery model is based on early identification and intervention to maximize a child’s potential for success in school and in life.  During its recent history, KidsAbility has:

• Expanded eligibility for services to children with developmental delays.
• Established sites with partners in Fergus, Guelph and Cambridge and re-located its Kitchener site to Waterloo.
• Broadened its services throughout Wellington County.
• Committed itself to working with families and community partners.
• Established a KidsAbility Foundation with its own governance structure.
• Created a Centre of Excellence to guide the development and sharing of knowledge.

Introduction to KidsAbility 2020

We initiated KidsAbility 2020 because we recognized that:

• The health and developmental needs of children being referred are changing in ways that require new knowledge, skills and expertise.
• The communities of service are changing dramatically – population growth in numbers and composition, the economy and the university/high-technology sector.
• Expectations are changing about support to parents, accountability to stakeholders, and government and funding structures.
 
The Board of Directors identified the need to reassess all facets of KidsAbility. In 2007, the Board of Directors initiated a multi-dimensional thinking, dreaming and planning process called KidsAbility 2020. The process involved extensive consultations while engaging the hearts and minds of parents, volunteers and partners as well as staff and board members.  We undertook a detailed review of all aspects of our organization, developed a Vision for the Children’s Services System and our role within it, renewed our Mission and Values, and created a Vision for what KidsAbility will look like in the year 2020.

KidsAbility 2020 is a vision and roadmap that sets the fundamental strategic direction for the next dozen years – what KidsAbility will do, for whom, with whom, how and where. This vision represents the ideal or “the summit” for KidsAbility and will include the concept of “Base Camps” – stops along the way to reaching the summit, KidsAbility 2020. “Base Camps” for 2012 and 2016 will be developed by staff leadership and supported by annual plans.

KidsAbility 2020

Our Vision

Potential realized.

Vision for the Children’s Services System

During the strategic planning process, we developed a vision for what the children’s services system should look like in the year 2020. These are the local, regional and provincial children’s services systems within which KidsAbility operates and provides its services. Our vision for the children’s services system will enable the potential of all children and youth to be realized. 
This vision assumes that:     

• The provincial government provides 100% of operational funding.
• All children’s services are working together as a system to give all children the best possible start in life.
• There is a single point of access that leads the child and family to a network of integrated and coordinated services for all children.
• Services are responsive to needs, not diagnoses.
• There is a shared commitment to translating research and information into best practices within service delivery. 
• Families are supported through knowledge sharing and more intentional guidance through the service system.
• Parents are engaged as a resource for change.

Our Mission

KidsAbility is committed to playing a significant role within the children’s services system. As we influence, and are influenced by, this children’s services system, we intend to vigorously pursue the following mission:

KidsAbility empowers children and youth with special needs to realize their full potential.

Our Values

Our values are the fundamental beliefs and guiding principles that shape our organizational behaviour and govern our decision making.   

We Value…
• The uniqueness of each child and youth and the right to realize their full potential.
• An inclusive and empowering relationship with families and the wisdom they provide.
• The power of working together with families, partners, donors and funders.
• A culture of professionalism, knowledge, innovation and accountability and a practice of resilient determination in all that we do.

Strategic Directions

Four key strategic directions were identified to implement our mission. Our renewed strategic directions are embraced by stakeholders, confirmed by our Centre of Excellence Advisory Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. KidsAbility is committed to moving forward in pursuit of the following strategic directions:

1. Supporting the Life Journey

A supportive and effective family support network is integral to achieving our vision. As a guiding principle, KidsAbility will assist the “life journey” of the child and family (from infancy to adulthood) by working in partnership with parents, community organizations and government to ensure holistic, high-quality services and neighbourhood supports for our clients and their families.

As part of a network of integrated and coordinated services, with a single point of access, KidsAbility will support families through knowledge sharing and more intentional guidance through the service system. Every family will experience support for navigation through a caring and nurturing environment across the community and within reasonable wait times. KidsAbility will work with families to influence change so that there are seamless and barrier-free solutions and supports for all children and youth with special needs.

Families will be supported in their “life journey” through networks of support, peer-to-peer support, parent-led initiatives and access to an electronic health record. KidsAbility will engage teens in a meaningful way by being responsive to their needs and choices as they express them and, in collaboration with our partners, will help ensure successful transitions to school, adolescence and adulthood.

2. Nurturing a Knowledge Organization

The identification, collection and sharing of knowledge are strategic priorities. We will cultivate KidsAbility as a leader in this respect. KidsAbility will generate knowledge about outcomes and healthy child development which will be openly shared and of benefit to all service providers, families and stakeholders.

There will be no waiting time for information. Linked to an electronic network, physicians, families, service providers and others will be able to access information in real time. Through developing processes and practices we will exchange knowledge and information with local hospitals, universities and physicians.

Nurturing KidsAbility as a Centre of Excellence, to improve the quality and expand the range of services to children and youth with special needs, continues as a priority. As an innovator in children’s rehabilitation services, KidsAbility will become a key source of information to support children and youth with special needs. Our Centre of Excellence Advisory Committee will provide guidance as we excel in transferring knowledge into best practice and quality services.

3. Identifying and Mobilizing Talent

Talentship is the understanding of key talents and skills required for sustainable success. This will be integral to our people resource strategy and to our organization. Key talent pools that are critical to our future success will be identified and mobilized within KidsAbility.

Demographics, cultural diversity and intergenerational differences will have an impact on our organization’s people resources. Through access to data and information, KidsAbility will be able to understand and respond to this impact. We will continue to cultivate a culture of sharing information, knowledge and wisdom that supports the goals of the organization and nurtures a positive and successful work environment.

Our organization will continue to adapt to change as we move forward. Nurturing a change-management strategy will ensure that staff, volunteers and board members are prepared to readily adapt to changes such as transitioning to a knowledge organization. A fully-developed human resource function, supported by technology and resources, will help us to achieve strategic success. 

4. Enhancing Service Delivery

Partnerships will continue to be at the centre of our work, providing new opportunities for clients and families. We will reach out to where families live, learn, work and play in the communities
we serve. 

Through accessible, fully-resourced, multi-partner hub sites, we will be responsive to needs not diagnoses. One-stop, integrated services will be available at these barrier-free, multi-partner centres. Shared information, including an electronic health record, will inform families and service partners about individual care paths as we work with our partners to provide comprehensive care and seamless transitions.

KidsAbility remains committed to helping our clients realize their potential by providing the best possible start in life and the best possible preparation for life as an adult.

Enablers

There are several elements that will serve as enablers to achieving our strategic directions, including:

Human Resources – KidsAbility will have the technology and resources to support a human resource function that has a strategic focus and contributes to the organization’s ability to achieve sustainable strategic success.
Technology – KidsAbility will incorporate technology that supports the service delivery models, supports staff in their outreach and administrative roles, and supports the efficient identification, collection and sharing of knowledge to achieve the vision.
Funding – KidsAbility will work with its provincial association to ensure full operational funding for its core services and will support KidsAbility Foundation to be successful in its annual, endowment and special-purpose fundraising efforts.