LOCAL DEVELOPMENTAL RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN, INCLUDING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES OR SPECIAL NEEDS
LOCAL EARLY INTERVENTION/DEVELOPMENTAL RESOURCES
California Early Start
California Early Start for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families. This is where you can go when you have questions about your child's development because Early Intervention makes a difference. All babies are different but if you are wondering why your baby isn't yet sitting up, or crawling, or if you suspect he or she is not hearing or seeing correctly, or if you suspect speech delays, call California Early Start at (800) 515-BABY or visit their website. You can also email them at earlystart@dds.ca.gov
The HOPE Infant Family Support Program is a public special education program that offers services to infants and toddlers with special needs and their families. As part of California Early Start, the San Diego County Office of Education provides quality early intervention services through the HOPE Program. Services are offered at no cost to families. Learn more about The Hope Infant Program by calling (760) 761-5581.
San Diego Regional Center
San Diego Regional Center, serving families with developmental disabilities in San Diego & Imperial Counties. (SDRC) serves as a focal point in the community through which a person with a developmental disability and his or her family can obtain services and be linked to other community resources within San Diego and Imperial counties.
The Crimson Center
The Crimson Center provides individualized treatment to maximize functional communication skills of children, adolescents, and adults. We offer the following services: *Certified and licensed speech language pathologists * Child development specialists * Occupational therapy * Language Groups * Baby SignsŪ instructor *
Is your child 12-18 months of age and not yet able to say single words? View a quick video from the Crimson Center, on why early intervention in speech and language development delays is crucial - click here.
The Crimson Center also bills Medi-Cal. Call them today at (858) 695-9415 for more information or visit their website at www.crimsoncenter.com
The Infant Development Association of California is a multidisciplinary organization of parents and professionals committed to optimal developmental, social, and emotional outcomes for infants, birth to three, with a broad range of special needs and their families.
IDA advocates for improved effective prevention and early intervention services, and provides information, education, and training to parents, professionals, decision makers, and others.
Learning Disabilities Association of San Diego
Also known as LDA, they are part of a national organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all individuals with learning disabilities and their families, alleviating the restricting effects of learning disabilities, and supporting endeavors to determine the causes of learning disabilities. LDA seeks to accomplish this through advocacy, education, research, service and through collaborative efforts. Visit their website at www.ldasandiego.org Find more information on their workshops, including a registration packet, and also find information on their support groups, including groups for ADD and Autism. Some of their workshops are also listed on our training page.
Information regarding child development in children ages 0-5 years,
Helpful tips for enhancing your child's development,
Information on how to support the development of children involved with the foster care system, and
Resources for child development such as, local agencies and programs, support groups, books, websites, and national organizations.
Developmental Services through Children's Hospital San Diegooffers programs that identify, evaluate and treat children with developmental delays, disabilities and injuries. Through intervention and treatment, the developmental services teams work to prevent secondary behavioral and developmental problems, helping children to reach their full developmental and functional potential. Services are available through funded programs such as DSEP, Children's Care Connection (C3), and their Developmental Evaluation Clinic. They offer audiology/hearing services, speech and occupational therapy, physical therapy, and much more. Visit their website for more information on services available, and how to obtain them.
Developmental Milestones
Do you know the Developmental Milestones for a child's first five years? Find them here. Or, how about the milestones for middle childhood through adolescence? Find those here.
High Risk Infant Follow Up Programs
For Premature Infants
If a child is considered "at risk" due to premature birth the High Risk Infant Follow Up Program is available to monitor the child's development for early intervention purposes. The NICU High-Rick Infant (HRI) Follow-Up Program at Children's Hospital & Health Center has a web page page with more information. View the web page here.
C-3 Children's Care Connection
C-3 is funded by the First 5 Commission of San Diego. They offer free classes for parents of children age 15 months to 5 years of age and have three locations. Find out more about C-3 by visiting How Kids Develop and clicking on the C-3 link. A list of activities Oceanside (858) 966-8014, San Marcos (760) 591-0179 or San Diego (858) 966-8931.
"Listos" Parent-Child Center (Oceanside)
"Listos" is located at 901-A Pier View Way, Oceanside, CA 92054 and normally accepts enrollment applications only from families who live within the Oceanside Unified School Boundaries. However, if your child is involved with Early Start or The Hope Infant Program, they may make an exception. They have organizaed parent-child activities several days per week. Their hours are from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Mon-Tues-Thurs-Fri and they are closed on Wednesdays. Phone or drop in for more information or to receive a monthly events calendar. Their number is (760) 966-1923
"Project Sombrilla" (North County)
Parent Child Resource Center offers "Project Sombrilla", free interactive sessions with parents and children, ages birth to 5 years of age in North County. Some types of classes offered are music and movement, toddler play, and educational sessions. Monthly calendars are available. Contact Alejandra Garcia, Program Coordinator at (760) 736-8613
The California Department of Education, Special Education Division offers information on local resources regarding children 3 - 5 years of age. You can visit their website for more information or download a brochure to obtain more information on whether your child may need additional help or services.
The San Diego County Office of Education website can help you get information regarding your local school district's responsibilities to your child and, where to seek help if your child is having problems in school. Each school district has a "foster care liason" that can assist you. Call your school district to find out who that liason is. Visit the SDCOE website at www.sdcoe.net . You can also receive more information on early intervention for children in the 3 - 5 year old age group, that fall within the schoold district responsibility, in some cities. View that website here.
More information on the SDCOE obligations regarding IEP's for children with special needs can also be found on our Help/Educational Needs page.
There are many online resources available for special needs such as The San Diego Autism Society, The March of Dimes and more. For more information on these organizations, visit our Online Resource Page.
