On this week’s Spreading the Love, we step aboard the Kidology Mobile Therapy Bus, a first-of-its-kind space designed to make accessible care a reality for children and their families.
Speech pathologist Luba Patlakh Kaplun and occupational therapist Molly spend their days helping children grow through play. But when Kaplun realized some families couldn’t make it to her Kidology clinics in Bucks County and Northeast Philadelphia, she decided to bring the clinic to them.
She bought an old school bus, wrapped it in the Kidology logo, and completely rebuilt the inside to mirror her in-office therapy rooms — complete with a mini sensory gym, colorful mats, and activity stations.
“I recreated the inside to look like one of our one-on-one rooms in the clinic,” Kaplun said. “We grow through play — they’re growing and learning.”
For many parents, simply getting to therapy can be the biggest challenge. The mobile bus parks right outside their homes or community centers, allowing kids to receive speech, occupational, and physical therapy sessions without the travel stress.
Mallory, a mom of two boys, Kieran and Eagan, knows how much this helps.
“With two kids, it’s hard to manage all those schedules — especially for parents who don’t have a car but their kids still need services,” she shared.
Most families use insurance to cover the cost of care — but for those who can’t easily access transportation, this bus makes all the difference.
When the session wraps up, little Kieran waves goodbye from the doorway, already asking when Kaplun and Molly will be back.
“Life is hard enough,” Kaplun said as she drove off in the bright yellow bus. “We just want to make this part a little easier. We hope to help as many families as we can.”
Kaplun isn’t stopping here. She plans to expand Kidology’s services with online programming — a virtual therapy channel to help parents guide their children’s development at home. She also offers courses to help families better understand their child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process.
