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Category: Families

See how we’re continuing to support the Western Australian community through our programs and services.

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Learning alongside illness or injury; supporting students and their teachers.

In 2025, our Ronald McDonald House Learning Program supported 345 students with more than 4,000 hours of tutoring, helping them reconnect with their learning. We also saw a 129% increase in students accessing allied health services through our program. Beyond direct student support, we delivered EDMed seminars to over 500 educators from across WA, equipping them with the knowledge to better support children with complex medical needs.

Making memories

We believe families who have lived through childhood illness, injury or loss deserve a sanctuary, a place to recharge, reconnect and enjoy precious moments together. 2025 saw 124 families doing just that, staying over 795 nights across our 3 Ronald McDonald House Family Retreats in Busselton, Mandurah and Bunbury. Learn how one family made memories in Mandurah.

More than a place to visit

Our Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms at Perth Children’s Hospital experienced another year of record visitation. In 2025, more than 120,000 parents, carers and children used our spaces, whether to take a break from the clinical environment, enjoy a moment of pause, or simply find a sense of normalcy with a cup of tea while their children played. Learn more about the impact our Ronald McDonald Family Rooms have on those who visit.

Shawcross family story

At Ronald McDonald House WA, we hold a simple belief: no family should have to choose between being there for their ill or injured child and having a place to stay. Yet, in a state as vast as Western Australia, for many families like the Shawcrosses, this choice is an all too familiar reality.

Asher’s story

When people think about a child with complex medical needs, they often focus on the challenges. And for Asher, a single mother of three energetic sons, including Ryder, who was born with G/BBB Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic disorder, “We've faced plenty of those over the past 16 years.” Asher explains.

So much more than a holiday

In 2024, our Ronald McDonald House Family Retreats hosted over 740 families that’s almost 200 more than in 2023. From soaking up the sun in Busselton, to BBQs in Bunbury and beach strolls in Mandurah, families had the opportunity to unwind and reconnect for a week, at no cost to them.

Bringing play and learning to more WA families

With Ronald McDonald Family Rooms visiting families have access to spaces that offer respite and entertainment in between appointments.

Supporting positive educational outcomes

In 2024, our Ronald McDonald House Learning Program was an educational lifeline to hundreds of school aged children across WA.

Crisp family story

After Florence’s birth in 2022, she was rushed into specialist care at Perth Children’s Hospital. Sarah and Andrew were preparing for a long stay in Perth. But with home two and a half hours away in Busselton, and two other young children to care for, it was difficult to find a place to stay for the whole family.