Kids and Co.Lab

21/10/2026

🎉 Happy Birthday, Kacey! 💛
We’re so grateful to have you as our Senior OT and Clinical Lead at Kids & Co.Lab. Thank you for the care, passion and heart you bring to our team and the families we support. We appreciate you more than you know! 🧡

18/10/2026

FREE PARENT WORKSHOPS:
A new diagnosis brings a lot of questions. What does this mean for my child? For our family? How do we make the NDIS work for us?

Our friends at Plumtree Children’s Services are running We Care, a free, evidence-based online program for parents and carers of children who are recently diagnosed with Autism or neurodivergence, waiting on a diagnosis, or have any developmental differences.
📅 Saturdays, 7, 14 and 21 November 2026
🕐 1pm to 3pm Queensland time (2pm to 4pm NSW time)
💻 Online via Zoom, open to families anywhere in Australia
💜 Free

Across three sessions you’ll learn how to set meaningful goals, understand your child’s diagnosis, navigate the NDIS, and look after your own wellbeing. You’ll also connect with other parents and professionals along the way.

Sessions build on each other, so plan to attend all three.

Scan the QR code on the flyer to secure your spot, or email [email protected] for more info.

Know a family who could use this? Please share. Support in those early weeks makes a real difference. 💛

13/10/2026

Big changes are coming to NDIS plans, and we want every family we work with to hear about them early.

From 1 October 2026, therapy budgets in new and reassessed plans are being reduced by 10%. Community participation budgets are being reduced by 50%. These changes apply to nearly everyone, and they are not about your child or your family.

We know this can feel worrying. You don’t need to have it all worked out. Our team is already planning ahead so your child’s therapy keeps working toward what matters most.

📅 Plan reassessment or renewal coming up? Let us know as soon as you have a date. Good reports take time to write, and we want to give your child’s needs the full picture they deserve.

Swipe through to see what’s changing, what isn’t, and what you can do now. Questions? Ask us at your next session or email [email protected] 💛

08/10/2026

It’s nearly that time again! 🎄✨

Jingle & Mingle is back, and we’re inviting all paediatric disability allied health workers to come together for an evening of good food, festive drinks and great company.

You spend the year supporting kids and families, so come and celebrate with the people who get it.

📅 Friday 20th November
🕕 6:30pm
📍 Pavillion Rooftop Bar, Mooloolaba
🎟️ RSVP to Heidi by 15th November

Tag a colleague who needs to be there! 👇

06/10/2026

01/10/2026

Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist turned Inclusion Researcher. 🧡

We are so incredibly proud of Kacey Watson, our Senior OT and Clinical Lead, who recently presented her research provocation at the Early Childhood Conference in Melbourne.

Kacey is currently completing her Master’s of Science, with research exploring inclusion for children with disability in early education settings. Watching her take that work to a national stage and share it with early childhood educators and researchers from across the country — we honestly couldn’t be prouder.

This is what it looks like when a clinician who cares deeply about inclusion puts in the work to actually change the system. Not just in the therapy room. In the rooms where the decisions get made.

Kacey — you are an absolute force. We are so lucky to have you. 💙

30/09/2026

Exciting news, Kids + Co.Lab is a finalist for Allied Health Provider of the Year 🏆 (Kismet Awards)

Six OTs, one incredible client support person, and 100+ families who let us into their kids’ lives. This is for all of you. Thank you 💛

If you’ve ever wanted to throw us a little support — voting is open and we’d be so grateful.

https://kismet.award.vote/entry/vote/YrVwggVn

28/09/2026

You are not disorganised. You’re doing a job nobody assigned you. 💛

Most families think the hard part is finding good people. It isn’t. It’s what happens once you’ve found them.

We looked at eight apps and platforms that promise to get your child’s team on the same page: what each one costs, who it suits, and where it falls over. No affiliations, no kickbacks. Just what we’d tell a family in clinic.

One of them shut down in March. One isn’t NDIS-registered anymore. One’s free and sitting on your phone right now.

Read our latest blog to learn more.

27/09/2026

Surfs up!

Registration is open! Link is https://bit.ly/4qSoU5X (and via the auto response to DMs and [email protected])

21/09/2026

Dear parents and caregivers,
We’re inviting parents and caregivers to take part in a research study about raising a child with
disability or developmental delay, who attends a mainstream daycare or kindergarten in SouthEast Queensland.
You may be eligible if you are:
• A parent or caregiver aged 18 or over
• Caring for a child aged 1–6 years with a disability or developmental delay
• Currently attending a mainstream daycare or kindergarten
What’s involved:
• One interview with a researcher, about 60 minutes, in person or by video/phone
• Afterwards, you’re welcome to review your interview transcript and add anything further
in a follow-up
More details are in the attached Information Sheet. If you have any questions, or would like to
take part, please contact me directly at [email protected].
Please feel free to forward this to anyone else who might be interested.
Kind regards,
Kacey Watson
Higher Degree Research Student – Master of Science
Occupational Therapist
University of the Sunshine Coast
Ethics Approval Number: S262258