Central Valley Regional Center (CVRC): Fresno and Visalia

How do I reach Central Valley Regional Center?

What does Central Valley Regional Center do?

• Adaptive skills trainingA professional teaches everyday skills at home, a little at a time, so your family member leans on you less.
• RespiteSomeone cares for your family member for a while, so you get a break. You can use an agency’s worker or find your own.
• Behavior servicesHelp with hard behavior. Parents start with a group class and take part in the work at home.
• Day programsPrograms for adults who are past school age.
• Independent living skillsTraining in cooking, cleaning, money and safety for adults in their own homes. Adults living with parents can get short-term training.
• Social recreation and campCamp, classes and activities, even one-on-one lessons, when your planning team agrees.
• TransportationRides to programs in the plan, but not to school. For a child, only with written proof that the family can’t provide rides.
• DiapersFrom age 3. Younger only if the family shows it can’t afford them.

Other programs come first. CVRC won’t pay for what Medi-Cal, insurance, IHSS or CCS would cover, or for what a school must provide.

Who qualifies for CVRC, and how do I apply?

Step by step

1. Make a referral.Fill out CVRC’s online referral form, email IntakeReferrals@cvrc.org or call intake. Parents, doctors, teachers and relatives can all refer, and so can adults for themselves.
2. An interview within 15 working days.CVRC meets with you to learn more and explain its services. You fill out an intake worksheet.
3. Records and testing.CVRC gathers medical, school and other records, and sets up evaluations if they’re needed.
4. A team decides.A CVRC team reviews it all, within 120 days. If your family member qualifies, a service coordinator is assigned.

Who qualifies, in more detail: our eligibility page.

Quick answers

How do I find my CVRC service coordinator’s phone and email?

• Look them up, then write.Search CVRC’s Key Contacts and Employee List for your coordinator’s last name. Then email, so your request is on record. Most emails are the first initial and last name, then @cvrc.org, but copy it from the list instead of guessing.
• No promised reply time.CVRC doesn’t say how fast coordinators answer. If a few business days pass, call the direct line from the list and send a second email.
• Coordinator out of the office?Call the main line of the office that serves you and ask who is covering. After hours, the recording connects urgent calls to the On-Call Manager.
• Ask for the Program Manager.Coordinators work under a Program Manager. The staff list names each Program Manager but not their teams, so ask your coordinator which one is theirs.
• Keep notes.For each call or email, jot down the date, the person and the answer. Notes like these show how long a request has waited.
• Want someone new?CVRC’s Early Start packet says you can ask for a different service coordinator if the match isn’t right, and the state’s guide on CVRC’s site says the same for older clients. Tell the Program Manager. State law says a coordinator stays on only when everyone agrees.

How do I get adaptive skills training through CVRC?

1. Email your coordinator.Tell your coordinator you want Aldera to provide adaptive skills training, and add team@aldera.org to the email. Copy this email. List the everyday tasks that are hardest right now.
2. A planning meeting within 30 days.State law gives CVRC 30 days from your request to meet and review the plan.
3. Sign once it’s written in.Look for adaptive skills training in the plan before you sign it. CVRC buys a service only after you agree to it in the plan.
4. Then we visit.After CVRC approves it, we come to your home, meet your family member and plan goals with you. Those visits show how many hours fit.

CVRC holds a planning meeting every year, and you can ask for one sooner whenever needs change.

How do I get my family member’s reports from CVRC?

• Email your coordinator.Name the reports you need, like the psychological evaluation and the latest IPP. If you get stuck, CVRC’s Key Contacts list names its Privacy Officer, with a phone number.
• 3 business days.State law gives CVRC 3 business days to let you see the file. For a child under 3, CVRC’s Early Start packet says a copy comes within 5 business days.
• Sending them to IHSS?Sign a release, and your coordinator can send them. Asking for protective supervision for a child who wanders or gets hurt? CVRC’s evaluation can help show why someone must watch all the time.

How do I get school support in the Central Valley?

1. Send a dated letter.Ask the school for a special education assessment in writing. CVRC’s sample letter is a good start. Keep a copy.
2. 15 days for a plan.The district has 15 days to send you an assessment plan. Breaks longer than 5 school days aren’t counted.
3. 60 days after you sign it.Testing and the first IEP meeting have to be done within 60 days of the district getting your signed plan.
4. Invite your coordinator.Your CVRC coordinator can come to the IEP meeting. Ask early, and bring CVRC reports that show your child’s needs.
5. Turning 3?Three months or more before the third birthday, your coordinator sets up a meeting with the school to plan preschool.

Special education contacts in CVRC’s six counties

• Fresno UnifiedSpecial Education: (559) 457-3220, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For copies of special education records, email SPED.RecordsRequest@FresnoUnified.org.
• Clovis UnifiedStart with your child’s teacher. Clovis sends concerns to a Student Study Team first, but you can ask for an assessment in writing at any point. Special Education and Psychological Services: (559) 327-0300.
• Visalia UnifiedSend a written request to your child’s school. If you can’t write one, staff will help. For a 3-year-old, call Early Childhood Special Education at (559) 735-8130.
• Madera UnifiedCall the Office of Special Services at (559) 416-5845.
• Merced CountyAll 20 of Merced County’s districts share one special education office, the Merced County SELPA, at (209) 381-6711.
• Kings CountyKings County’s 13 districts share the Kings County SELPA, at (559) 589-2650. Its online referral form is for children about to turn 3.
• Tulare CountyFor the county’s smaller districts, call Child Find at (559) 730-2910, ext. 5125, or ask at your local school. The assessment is free.

Every district follows the same state timelines. Central Unified’s district office is at (559) 274-4700, and its notice of parent rights comes in seven languages, Punjabi included.

Where can Central Valley parents get support?

• Fresno County: Exceptional Parents Unlimited.Parent support and help finding resources, in Fresno. Visit its family resource center page.
• Merced County: Challenged Family Resource Center.Merced’s family resource center. Visit its website.
• Kings, Tulare and Mariposa counties.CVRC lists the Kings County Family Resource and Family Empowerment Centers, the Parenting Network in Tulare County and Mariposa Safe Families. See CVRC’s list.
• Help in your language and culture.CVRC works with community partners such as the Hlub Hmong Center and Congreso Familiar. Questions? Email equity@cvrc.org.