Our History

KidsAbility’s journey began over a century ago with the establishment of The Rotary Club of Kitchener, originally known as the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Waterloo. In the 1920s, the club initiates its support for children and youth with disabilities, marking the first significant milestone in the history of what is now KidsAbility. 

From the late 1920s until the early 1950s, club members facilitate transportation for local disabled children, taking them to Toronto and London for medical treatment. 

Taking a significant step forward

1952

The Mobile Cerebral Palsy Clinic comes to Kitchener-Waterloo and introduces the benefits of therapy for children with cerebral palsy. Rotarians ask the question:   How can we provide this service locally? 

1954

A therapist is hired, and treatment is conducted at K-W Hospital, now known as Grand River Hospital. The following year, Howard Hawkins advocates for a permanent building to serve as a treatment centre, providing local children with physiotherapy and occupational therapy. 

1955

In September, the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Waterloo took a significant step by establishing the North Waterloo Society for Crippled Children as an incorporated organization, showcasing the community’s commitment to the cause.  

The society’s mission is to create a permanent treatment facility. It’s a testament to the community’s dedication that local Rotarians in Kitchener successfully raise $125,000 through donations—without any government funding—to purchase land and construct the centre. 

The founding members of this new society demonstrate their personal commitment. They include Dr. Don Bastedo, Roy Brown, Russell Buie, Walter Hatch, Howard Hawkins, Dr. Stonewall Jackson Hawkins, Morris Hay, Miles Hudspeth, John Martin, Wilson Martin, Arthur Snider and Carl Weber. Known as the Kitchener Cerebral Palsy School Board, they begin the school year with just six students located inside K-W Hospital. 

1956

Property at 828 King Street West in Kitchener is purchased for $25,000 to establish the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre. This facility is custom-built to provide therapy for local children, eliminating the need for families to travel to Toronto for regular appointments.  

The centre is designed by local Rotarian and architect Carl Rieder, with construction carried out by Dunker Construction for $106,000. Lieutenant-Governor Louis Breithaupt and Clay Hall, President of the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Waterloo, lay the cornerstone of the centre. 

1958

On March 24, the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre celebrates its grand opening in Kitchener. Dr. Glenn McFadden serves as the first medical director, Norah Barrett as the first head therapist, and Roy Brown as the first administrator. 

1960

As the region continues to grow, the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre expands its services to include children from Cambridge and Guelph, in addition to Kitchener and Waterloo, demonstrating its commitment to serving a larger community. 

1961

The school changed its name to The North Waterloo Children’s Board of Education. 

1963

The first addition to the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre includes two classrooms and a therapy pool. Local businessman and Rotarian Ted Witzel spearheads the fundraising drive to make this $110,000 expansion possible. 

1968

It becomes clear that the Centre needs to expand again to serve the community better. Plans are made to add a large classroom, four speech therapy offices and a library/meeting room. Ted Witzel once again leads the fundraising campaign with a goal of $125,000. 

Expanding to meet increasing needs

1970

Plans are underway to meet the growing needs of the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre — since the last addition in 1963, the caseload has doubled. A second floor is built over the existing one-storey building at a total cost of $150,000, funded completely by the Rotary Clubs of Kitchener and Waterloo.  

This new space provides much-needed room to accommodate the growing demands of occupational therapy and speech-language pathology. Additionally, the expansion includes an area for a social worker and for psychological testing.  

1972   

Due to the increasing demand for speech therapy in Cambridge, a new speech clinic is established to ensure that children living south of Highway 401 no longer need to travel to the crowded centre in Kitchener. The clinic is located in a rented space at Grandview Medical Centre in Cambridge. 

1977   

The K-W Rotary Children’s Centre now serves 557 children on the active caseload supported by 42 staff, a 12-person medical panel, 100 volunteers, 25 Rotarians from Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge on the Board, with a budget of $550,000. 

1980

Roy Brown, who served as the executive director of the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre for many years, retires in December. Roy, the centre’s first administrator, was honoured with a light-hearted roast by staff to recognize his significant contributions throughout the years. 

1984

A larger and more permanent site in Cambridge at 1425 Bishop Street is funded by Rotarians. Within three years of its opening, the new site sees 165 children. 

1986

The Board of Directors recognizes that the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre facilities can no longer accommodate the increasing number of children and families who come through the doors each year. Planning begins for a new facility that will be able to serve more children with several Rotary clubs pledging financial support for it.   

1987

The Cambridge Rotary Clubs launch the annual Cambridge Times Rotary Run, later known as the Superhero Run. This event, held for over 30 years, raises over $1 million to support KidsAbility, demonstrating the power of community and collective action. 

Growing stronger together

Early 1990s

The Rotary Club of Fergus-Elora starts providing daily transportation for children from Fergus to the Rotary Children’s Centre in Guelph for over eight years. The estimated cost of this service, which ends in the late 1990s, is $500,000. 

KidsAbility benefits from funds raised by one of the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club’s Dream Home Lotteries. 

1994

The ground is officially broken on April 15 at the K-W Rotary Children’s Centre’s future site at 500 Hallmark Drive in Waterloo to replace the smaller KidsAbility facility in Kitchener. 

1995   

The K-W Rotary Children’s Centre completes the construction of a new, state-of-the-art facility in Waterloo, covering 54,000 square feet. It opens in September after a successful capital campaign that raises $8 million, with support from the government, local Rotary clubs, corporations, and numerous private donors. 

School location changes to Hallmark Drive, Waterloo, with the building of the new treatment centre. 

1996   

Cambridge Services moves into the new Cambridge Family YMCA on Hespeler Road in the fall. Our co-location partnership, the first and only partnership of its kind in Canada, provides enhanced facilities for our children and families. 

1999   

Due to continued growth, a service team is established through pilot funding from the Ministry of Health, and a partnership with the City of Guelph. The caseload increases from just 17 children in September 1999 to 90 by April 2000. The pilot proves successful, leading to permanent funding being granted in 2000. 

In November, the Board approves a new referral policy that allows families, caregivers or community agencies to refer a child for services. Previously, referrals were only accepted from doctors. As a result of this change, referrals significantly increase to 1,229 from 978 the previous year. This change improves access to services and supports the goal of early intervention. 

2000   

The Fergus-Elora Rotary Children’s Centre opens with the support of the Rotary Club of Fergus-Elora. Its services extend to Drayton and Mount Forest. 

The KidsAbility Foundation assumes the primary responsibility of fundraising on behalf of KidsAbility. Previously, it was tasked with managing the endowment fund arising from bequests.

School name changed to Rotary Children’s Centre School Authority 

2002

The Waterloo Rotary Club introduces the Golf “Fore” KidsAbility tournament at Grey Silo golf course in Waterloo.  The tournament, the club’s main fundraising event, has raised well over $400,000 for KidsAbility as of 2024. 

Permission to expand the school to a second site within the Cambridge Rotary Children’s Centre site. One additional classroom added for 16 children with the expansion of the centre in Cambridge.  

2003   

On May 30, the organization officially changes its name to KidsAbility™ Centre for Child Development. This new name better reflects our mission, vision, and purpose while respecting Rotary International’s request to no longer include “Rotary” in the name.  

School name changed to KidsAbility School Authority. 

KidsAbility renews our strong partnership with the Cambridge YMCA in September by opening an expanded site. A new classroom is added that allows KidsAbility School to increase enrolment from 62 to 81 children. 

2005   

KidsAbility’s Guelph site moves to a newly renovated 5,000-square-foot West End Community Centre location.  

Proposal submitted on behalf of the school to increase the Cambridge program to include an additional 18 children. 

2006   

The first annual Kids Can’t Wait Radiothon raises $108,000 over two days for KidsAbility through the support of 96.7 CHYM FM. 

2008   

On December 12, KidsAbility and the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine Waterloo Regional Campus at McMaster University celebrate a historic partnership. This new collaboration provides medical students with family medicine and pediatrics training, allowing them to learn about children with special needs and their families. 

Continuing to lead the way

2011

In June, KidsAbility opens a new 5,200-square-foot site inside The Family Centre at 65 Hanson Avenue in Kitchener to better serve children and families in Kitchener. 

2012   

KidsAbility, along with 11 other children’s treatment centres, implements leading-edge technology called GoldCare. This initiative is made possible by a one-time grant of $2.5 million from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. This GoldCare system enables multidisciplinary teams to conduct comprehensive assessments, develop integrated care plans, share essential information, access clinical notes, and monitor each child’s and their family’s progress. 

2013

In March, KidsAbility is awarded Exemplary Standing through Accreditation Canada, the highest accreditation possible, recognizing our commitment to excellence in governance, leadership and client services. 

After 27 years as chief executive officer, KidsAbility bids Stephen Swatridge farewell and welcomes Linda Kenny to the position in April. 

With additional provincial funding, KidsAbility launches Spark!, a program designed to provide brief and rapid intervention to children with mild to moderate needs who might otherwise age out of the system. This initiative helps to move 293 children off the waiting list. ease in funding from the province, KidsAbility launches Spark!. This program provides brief and rapid intervention to children with mild to moderate needs who otherwise may age out of the system. This program helps to move 293 children off the waiting list.

2014

On March 23, KidsAbility hosts the President of Rotary International, Gary C. K. Huang, along with his wife.  

KidsAbility officially opens our new Centre for Autism in Kitchener on March 31. This purpose-built space is designed specifically for children with autism and welcomes community partners Waterloo Region Family Network, Autism Services Waterloo Region, Facile and Extend-a-Family.  

On November 10, KidsAbility celebrates the opening of our newest dedicated autism site benefiting our children and families in Cambridge. Located on Langs Drive, the new facility is custom-built to meet the needs of our complex children. pilot program to provide speech services for our complex clients in Guelph launches in partnership with WeeTalk. 

2015

In January, families join members of the Rotary Club of Fergus-Elora, staff, volunteers and community partners to cut the ribbon on a new custom-built space to serve better the over 100 children who benefit from services offered by KidsAbility in Fergus. 

Stay and Play, a program developed in Guelph-Wellington through a partnership with KidsAbility and St. Joe’s, expands across Ontario in December. 

2016

Launch of Go Baby Go! at KidsAbility made possible by funding through KidsAbility Foundation. Staff members Sarah Brown and Janice Gregson begin to modify loanable toy ride-on cars for children with crawling and walking problems, empowering them to be part of the action. 

KidsAbility’s Resource Centre initiates a new online equipment-lending program. Equipment can now be borrowed and tracked electronically. 

KidsAbility leads the way with a new program, “Partnering 4 Change in Child Care” (P4C), after receiving funding from the Region of Waterloo for a one-year pilot project. P4C helps facilitate inclusive education by working in partnership with educators in the classroom to provide occupational therapy services to support every student. 

2017

As part of the new Ontario Autism Program, KidsAbility, in partnership with the Children’s Treatment Centre of Simcoe York, launches a new Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic and Assessment Team. Additionally, KidsAbility partners with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Waterloo-Wellington to enhance the capacity of CMHA’s existing ASD team. 

“60 Years of Potential Realized” is celebrated throughout the community with an art show, events and a reception at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge. The achievement is also marked with a tree planting dedication to commemorate the over 60,000 children and youth with special needs who have been given the skills and support necessary to realize their potential. 

In October, the grand opening celebration of KidsAbility’s new Cambridge Hub brings together our early years, school and autism teams, community partners, donors, families, and dignitaries as we cut the ribbon on our newest site. 

2018

Behaviour Consults begins to provide a multidisciplinary approach to support KidsAbility teams by offering advice, resource development, strategies and recommendations for working with clients with behaviour challenges. 

KidsAbility expands in Guelph with the grand opening of the new Guelph Hub. By bringing all of the teams under one roof, we are stronger together. 

2019

KidsAbility introduces the School Based Rehabilitation Services program.

2024

KidsAbility Kitchener relocates to 4273 King St. E., Unit B in May. This new facility, fully funded by the community, spans 26,000 square feet—double the size of the previous Kitchener site. The state-of-the-art location is designed to provide pediatric therapy care, allowing children to move freely and safely within a sensory-friendly, collaborative environment specifically tailored for them. 

KidsAbility’s Waterloo site celebrates the grand opening of its accessible and inclusive playground. This playground features one of the first wheelchair-accessible swings in the region. It reflects KidsAbility’s commitment to fostering inclusivity and creating environments where every child can play, grow, and thrive. 

In November, the KidsAbility Rocket Discovery Centre introduces the ENVISAGE Team, which includes three parent-partners and three clinicians. This new initiative aims to enhance support for families and clinicians by focusing on a holistic approach to childhood disability. 

2025

Rotary clubs throughout Waterloo Region and Wellington County continue to support KidsAbility through organizing events for children and fundraising initiatives.