Learning Links

About

Learning Links is a charitable not-for-profit organisation established in 1972 by parents concerned about the lack of appropriate support services to meet their children’s education and wellbeing needs.

Today, our mission is to provide children and young people who have difficulties learning with the skills, services and family support that will enable them reach their full potential. We work to prevent learning difficulties from causing disadvantage by making high quality services available to children and young people in need, and by advocating on their behalf. Our expert childhood educators, psychologists, speech and occupational therapists provide tailored support that empowers children to find their unique talents, foster their individual strengths, ignite a passion for learning and empower them to fulfil the dreams they have for themselves. Our approach is evidence based, engaging, results-focussed – and it works.

Over the last 50 years, we have supported thousands of children, families, teachers and schools, to help children with learning difficulties and learning disabilities learn, develop and thrive. Our programs and services are delivered at our six Sydney based Learning Centres, located in areas where the need is most pronounced, and on an outreach basis in disadvantaged schools and early learning settings.

Program donations fund:

Today in Australia, a diagnosis of a learning difficulty or disability does not entitle a child or family to financial assistance. This means that they rely solely on their family’s ability to pay for the critical assessments, developmental therapies, educational supports and targeted mental health interventions they need to learn, develop and thrive to their full potential.

This can be particularly challenging for many families in our community who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Heart-breakingly, many parents see their child struggling to learn and simply don’t have the means to pay for the early interventions that they desperately need. Imagine dreading going to school every day, feeling like you don’t belong and with no hope that you’ll ever catch up. This is what having a learning difficulty feels like. Before even starting school, children can begin to fall behind. It only gets worse as they get older. They struggle to learn to read, write or understand numbers, find it hard to make friends and can spiral into feelings of anxiety, depression and utter helplessness.

Funds from the Be Kind Sydney Day will enable Learning Links to identify and empower up to 40 socio-economically disadvantaged children with life-changing access to free or subsidised critical intervention services that they need to develop and learn. 

To combat academic, social and wellbeing challenges at a vital stage of development, and depending on a child's unique challenges, support for this project will empower disadvantaged children across Sydney to access:

• Diagnostic assessments to identify issues and develop tailored interventions
• Educational Support
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Psychological Assessments and Counselling