Families who have children under age 18 with learning differences or other developmental challenges have likely heard of Regional Centers – but how much do you really know about them and what they can do for you?
We thought we’d take a moment and explain, because they are wonderful resources in our communities.
There are 21 Regional Centers spread across our state, seven of which are in Los Angeles with staff standing by to help you. The L.A. Parent team knows the Regional Centers for the dedicated people who work at each one. Visit any of the locations in our city and you’ll be greeted with a smiling face – and you’ll find a free copy of L.A. Parent magazine in the lobby of most locations.
Each Regional Center is a nonprofit, private corporation that contracts with the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to coordinate or provide community support, resources and access to services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
What will you find inside a Regional Center? Plenty. They exist to give information to families and help them understand their rights and options under the law, help them locate the services they need and make sure the local community offers those services. Importantly, Regional Centers are under a government directive to select the most cost-effective treatment for consumers. The Centers don’t always have to pay for the services to meet your child’s needs, but they do have to find them for you.
In most Regional Centers you’ll find services and support in the areas of community education, parent training and referral to other public services such as Medi-Cal and In-Home Support Services. Specifically, you’ll find:
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Service coordination linking people with services
- Lifelong individualized planning
- Assistance in finding and using community resources
- Purchase of services identified in the individual plan
- Advocacy for the protection of legal, civil and service rights
- Early intervention services for at-risk infants and their families
- Information and referral
- Family support
- Training and educational opportunities
- Community outreach, awareness and education about developmental disabilities
- Quality assurance and enhancement activities
- Resource development
- Client benefit coordination
Among the most popular programs at Regional Centers is Early Start, which is California’s early intervention program for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or at risk for having a developmental disability and their families. Early Start services are administered by all of the state’s 21 locations to ensure services to infants and toddlers and their families are provided in a coordinated, family-centered manner.
Our Regional Centers are great resources. We’ve listed the locations in L.A. below, and you can click here for the more info of each.
- Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center
- Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center
- Harbor Regional Center
- North Los Angeles Regional Center
- South Central Los Angeles Regional Center
- San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center
- Westside Regional Center
The Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center, for example, reports that it serves more than 15,000 individuals and has more than 350 employees at two sites in Eastern L.A. County.
Should you need help, Regional Centers are a good place to start.
