"I'm sorry."
I felt myself saying this in every children’s gym, play area, and restaurant where I took my son, Gabriel. For my child with autism, the over stimulation was always too much for him. Eventually, he would have a meltdown. We would be asked to leave, usually both in tears, and I would feel hopeless.
Around this time, I was renting out a local gym for private one-on-one sessions for Gabriel and his occupational therapist. I was speaking with the owner of the gym when she informed me that after 30 years, they were closing.
My entrepreneurial mind began racing. At this point, I had already transformed my bedroom into a gym for Gabriel at the suggestion of his OT. It was designed with sensory equipment and was immediately making an impact. He was sleeping better, eating better, and having fewer meltdowns. He wasn’t the only one who benefitted from the gym. My neurotypical daughter, Sophia, and her friends enjoyed the equipment as well. I knew this could be something bigger, and after the space became available, I thought “I need to create a gym with this type of equipment where children of ALL abilities can play and learn together.”
When I told my children’s father my plans, he asked, “what do you know about running a kid’s gym?”
“I know it’s what I was put on this earth to do,” I replied. “I know there must be other families like ours that need support and access to this equipment on a daily basis, like Gabriel.”
With that, I leased the space and filled it with the best-specialized therapy equipment available — a trampoline, zip line, bolster swing, and more!
I opened the doors to the first We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym In September 2010.
From the start, I wanted to make sure that our gym was affordable for the families that needed it. Instead of the $150/hour cost for private OT, our gym offered “Open Play” for just $16.
Within weeks, children of all abilities were finding joy, connection, and a sense of belonging within our gym. Parents would often approach me with tears in their eyes, sharing how meaningful it was to finally have a place where their family felt welcomed, accepted, and understood.
It quickly became clear that this mission was bigger than a single gym and bigger than our community in Tarzana. Families from across the country began reaching out through emails, phone calls, and social media asking when We Rock The Spectrum would come to their city. That’s when I realized we had an opportunity to make an even greater impact.
In 2013, we made the decision to franchise We Rock The Spectrum. What began as one gym built from a mother’s vision has grown into a global movement with more than 2oo locations across the United States and internationally. This growth has been made possible by the incredible parents, therapists, educators, and entrepreneurs who believed in our mission and chose to bring We Rock The Spectrum to their communities.
Today, our franchise owners are the heart of our organization. They create safe, inclusive spaces where children can play, learn, and grow while building stronger communities and supporting families every day.
Driven by our commitment to reach even more children and families, we expanded our services in 2016 with the launch of We Rock on Wheels, our sensory bus division. This innovative concept provides a more accessible franchise opportunity while bringing the We Rock the Spectrum experience directly into communities, schools, events, and neighborhoods.
Every gym opened, every sensory bus launched, and every family served brings us one step closer to our mission: providing a place where all children can learn, explore, and thrive together.
Our Next Move Was A Global Expansion.
We opened our first international location in Ara Damansara, Malaysia in December 2016. Standing behind the ribbon as we opened the doors to our first location outside of the US, I looked out at my family and saw tears in their eyes. I remembered that first conversation we had about opening a gym in our hometown. To see the concept we started in our home flourish halfway across the world, I stood in awe thinking of how far we’ve come as a family and as a company. Fast forward to today, we are now in over 30 states, and 8 countries with 150 locations and counting!
Knowing my son and daughter could travel across the world and be at home in a We Rock the Spectrum emphasizes why our mission is so important. Our children need love and security. Whether in Tarzana, Malaysia, New York, or anywhere else, it is our purpose to provide families with the opportunity to walk into any of our gyms, exhale, and say…
“Finally a Place Where You Never Have to Say I’m Sorry.”®
– Dina Kimmel, Founder, CEO
