Who We Are
At Kath Dickson Family Centre, we are all about early childhood, that wonderful age from 0-5 years.
We provide child care options, train workers in child care, support educators to run their own family day care business, and engage the community with family events and activities, including our Toy Library.
We were established in 1975 by Kathleen Dickson, who was a visionary in recognising the need for quality child care options at that time. We have since grown and diversified, but continue to remain true to the vision of supporting families.
Our organisation operates a number of distinct divisions:
- Kath Dickson Family Day Care enables families to open their homes and offer affordable, flexible, quality child care in their community.
- Kath Dickson Institute provides training in nationally accredited qualifications in Early Childhood Education and Care via our network of trainers throughout Queensland.
- Kath Dickson Education and Care Centres in Toowoomba (Gladstone Street and Toowoomba Central) provide centre-based care, a fully-accredited kindergarten program, as well as places allocated to emergency care for families in crisis.
- Kath Dickson Community Programs coordinate a range of events and initiatives to support families and children, particularly for those most in need. This includes our community Toy Library in Crows Nest and playgroups.
Why we are here
Our vision
Our mission
Our values
Kathleen Dickson BEM
Inspirational educator and tireless champion for children.
As principal of Toowoomba South Girls and Infants School, Miss Dickson played an important part in the education of children in Toowoomba. The 1960s and 1970s brought with them the emergence of ‘latch key’ children in the community. This was of concern to Miss Dickson who voluntarily extended her own working hours in order to provide interests and, in turn, protection for these children. Retirement in 1975 coincided with the emergence of the Family Day Care Scheme introduced by the Whitlam Government. Miss Dickson was instrumental in establishing family day care in Toowoomba and the surrounding region, and starting the organisation we are today.