Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Flores.
Hi Christy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Christy Flores and I am a speech-language pathologist that co-owns 901 Therapy with my children. It has been a circuituous route to get to where I am with 901 Therapy and sensory gym and the rest of the 901 center, but it is a dream realized. I didnt have the easiest childhood and this led me to always want to do something that would benefit children. My husband and I married in 1997, and ran his business and everything grew from there. When I had my first son, I knew I wanted to finish my college education, so that my children would have me as an example, also I knew restaurant hours would not work for raising kids. Working in restaurants is an act of service, and I decided to continue my acts of service by going to school to become a teacher. My first major was speech pathology, but I had quit college when my father died. Teaching was an easier route at the time as I could go to school at night, help at the restaurant, and be with my son. 2 more boys and a girl later and a years of teaching, I decided to go back and finish my speech degree. I worked at the schools first as a middle school teacher and then as a speech pathologist and as a supervisor of the speech program for a district in the end. Around 2020, we bought my daughters gymnastics gym, 901 Gymstars. We did this because we wanted to keep a safe place for girls. My team and I have tried to make Gymstars a s girl centered as we can with keeping the rigorous spirit that gymnastics needs. I have a great team working for me at Gymstars and after we bought the building with the bowling alley, I knew it was time that I could branch and work in my field. 901 Therapy is born from love of working with people authentically. It is a child led therapy center which runs on neurodivergent affirming principles. We have OT and speech and will be adding PT when we find the right therapist. We do not offer ABA as it goes against the principles of child led therapy. We also offer open play for special needs and typical children and a homewrok center for people to work in.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My husband and I started with nothing and have slowly and steadily made it to where we are. Gymstars was hard at fiirst because of the culture of the business and me having to leave my secure job to give my time to it. The therapy is starting slow, but I have great faith it will be successul with God’s help. I am dedicated to working with neurodivergent and typical children with speech and language difficulties and have been spending hourrs relwarning how to do this child held and not using old school methods that train and dont teach.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud that 901 Therapy and sensory gym is sensory based and child led therapy. We work with gestault language users, AAC users, Autistic children, stuttering, and speech sound disorder all with keeping the therapy authentic. I am good building relationships with kids because they trust me. i have a long history of advocating for children and am so proud to continue doing this with 901 Therapy. I also love that we have open play and get to watch the kids explore all the snsory toys and equipment we have.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Working with children and watching them grow makes me happy. That and puppies! I believe if you show a child you care about them you will get much more out of them. Relationships have to be built for true progress to be made. I truly believe that this is my mission; to enhance the life of children.
Pricing:
- Membership or passes available for open play and homewrok hut.
- Call for therapy rates
Contact Info:
- Website: https://901therapy.com
- Instagram: 901therapy
- Facebook: 901therapy
- Other: 901gymstars.com 901bowl.com
