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Hi! We’re Nathan and Chloe, owners of Support to Grow and parents to beautiful kids disabled with alternative needs. Thank you so much for visiting our website! We hope we’re able to provide you with the information and support services, the skills-based learning programs, and the understanding ear, that you may be looking for.
Plus! We are totally inclusive here, your child doesn’t need to have NDIS funding, nor does your mighty little mung bean need to have a diagnosed disability… maybe they have a disorder, like ADD, ADHD… or maybe they’re just a little ‘quirky’. Regardless of your child’s range of abilities or the daily supports they require, we’re here to support you, your unique little sprout, and your family, to grow, connect and conquer life’s challenges together.
“Growing seedlings into mighty trees” – Anon.
We started Support to Grow because we want to provide the care, understanding and support that we wish we had when we embarked on our ‘disability’ journey. We know what it’s like to step into the whirlwind of diagnoses, appointments with doctors and medical specialists, and gathering the necessary evidence to accompany an NDIS application, all while adjusting to ‘the new normal’ for kids with alternate needs and their families.
With three children with disabilities, the eldest of whom is 12, we have real-life experience in caring for, communicating with, and supporting kids with different needs. However, it’s not just the lived experience that sets us apart from other disability support providers. For Chloe, the passion and drive to want to help other kids who had different needs and abilities, has been there since childhood.
We have taken that drive and passion to help kids with alternate needs and their families, and coupled it with formal qualifications in disability support and years of experience in community support work. We want provide you, your quirky little sprout, and your family with the information, guidance, and practical assistance you need… but it’s more than that. We’re here because we want to offer you the empathy and understanding ear you might have been looking for.
We have assembled a passionate team that is committed to providing reliable, nurturing, and individualised disability support services throughout Newcastle and the Hunter Region. Our support workers are here because, like us, they want to help families with disabled kids to learn and grow together through their new experiences and challenges.
Day-to-day support for little seedlings
Like most other disability support providers, Support to Grow provide the usual range of support services:
We run day programs on social skills, for those kids who have difficulty relating to and interacting with others, and day programs on mindfulness, for those who need help to concentrate and focus, and to self-soothe when they are over-stimulated or their emotions become too much to handle.
Our school holidays program runs on weekdays throughout the school holidays, with each day having a new theme – cooking day, movie day, Minecraft day, Pokémon day, superhero day and more… Not only is there a different theme each day, but there are a variety of events each day too, to ensure your little string bean is occupied, entertained, and learning valuable social skills at the same time.
Unlike most other disability support providers, Support to Grow provide a range of other programs, services, and initiatives designed to support your little seedling to grow into a strong sapling that has taken root in the solid base they provide. By helping our disabled kids to build their ability, and their confidence, to interact with others, we’re working to improve your entire family’s quality of life and fulfill our mission to grow seedlings into mighty trees.
“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” – Tony Robbins
If you’ve been trying to find someone who can help you navigate the NDIS or complete and submit an NDIS application, but you’ve been struggling to find a ‘best fit’ service provider who will give you the information and assistance you will get from Support to Grow. Having been through the entire process ourselves, multiple times, we know what preparation is required, how the application process and approvals system works, and what to expect throughout each stage of the process.
We can help you to:
We believe that, rather than trying to bring, or expecting our kids with alternative needs to communicate at a higher level than what they are capable of, parents and carers need to go to the child’s level. So, we decided we needed to find a simple, effective, and shared way for us all to connect and communicate with each other – your little string bean, you, your family, our support workers, and other kids they may meet through Support to Grow. What’s more, we found it!
Every member of our staff learns keyword signing for AUSLAN (sign language), so that they can teach you and your disabled child an easy-to-learn, easy-to-use way to communicate more effectively with the people around them.
You want to help your little lima beans to build their communication skills, and so do we. However, we also want to educate parents on alternative methods of communication that may work for them and their disabled child, and help them to develop those communication skills. We know how difficult it can be to try to communicate with your lil’ sprout at times, and often it’s because we’re trying to make them comprehend explanations and respond to questions at a level they simply don’t understand.
“If speaking kindly to plants helps them grow, imagine what speaking kindly to humans can do?” – Simran Kalra
We’re here because we care – because we’ve very likely been where you are now, wishing there was someone you could talk to and ask questions of, or someone who could show you what to do next. If you’re struggling with a new diagnosis, you need help with in-home personal care or domestic tasks, or you would like to talk to us about any of our programs or services, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call, send an email, or connect with us via our socials. Alternatively, complete our contact form to send us a message and we’ll get back to you soon.
Disability support to help you and your family to live, laugh, and grow. We are here to provide you and your family with the help and guidance, skills and knowledge, communication initiatives and learning experiences you and your disabled child need as you navigate the challenges of daily life.