Free

All the help for you and your child

Therapy that can start sooner. Help at school. Medi-Cal, even if you think you earn too much. And pay for the care you already give. For families who qualify. We show you the order to ask, in plain words, with the state’s own page linked.

Start with step 1

Step 1 is one phone call. No diagnosis needed.

We make too much for Medi-Cal.
Maybe not. There is a second way in, through the Regional Center. It does not count what the parents earn. Step 2 shows you.

See step 2

“It took our family a year to find all of this. Nobody handed us a map.”

Tina, San Diego mom. Read Tina’s story

Do your own research. The information on this site may not be accurate or up to date. Always check the official page we link before you act.

Start where you are

What it looks like

Example conversation

We just got the diagnosis. I don't even know where to start.
Start by calling your Regional Center. They decide who qualifies for their services, and getting through can take a long time, so it's step 1. Here's the San Diego number, (858) 576-2996, and the two sentences to say. Official page
We make too much for Medi-Cal though.
Maybe not. Medi-Cal has a second way in for some Regional Center clients, and that way doesn't count the parents' income. We'll walk you through it when you get there. State page

Every answer comes from our guide and links the state's own page. We never decide whether your family qualifies. The program does, after you apply.

I'm Tina. I'm a San Diego mom.

When our son was diagnosed, nobody handed us a map. Nobody hands any parent one. So I spent a year making my own — calling office after office, filling out form after form, waiting for people who took forever to call back. I didn't stop. The whole time, there were programs for him we didn't know existed: therapy that could have started months sooner, help at his school, and a program that pays parents for the care we were already giving at 2 a.m. for free.

And the school meetings — I learned to join the call knowing exactly what he needed, and not hang up without a plan. You assume the school will handle it. They do help — but there are ways to get more help than the school alone can give. He is super smart. He is capable. He just needed the right help in the room with him — and once he had it, that's where the improvement began.

Our son got the help he needed, and honestly, he hasn't stopped growing since. And for the first time, the money made sense. But the journey isn't over. It's ongoing — we need services constantly, and we're still finding the ones that fit him best. And it's not just the services. It's the everyday stuff, too — the medical stuff, the supplements, the food, the potty training, the tasks we have to learn, every single day.

I built Answers for Families so you know what to ask for in days, not years — at the Regional Center, at the doctor's office, and at the school meeting table. The map is here now, and so is a listing of services, restaurants, dentists, barbers — everything that fits your child. The programs are already there. Your child may already qualify. Let's go find out, together.

Read more about us

How we check

As of November 7, 2026, no provider has been checked yet; the directory is alphabetical. We don't rate the therapy itself, because we've never seen it.

How we check providers

Who pays

Parents never pay. Businesses that serve these families pay for fuller listings and sponsored spots, and that pays for everything you see here. Paying never changes a check or a review.

For providers