Redwood Coast Regional Center (RCRC): Eureka, Ukiah, Lakeport

How do I call or visit Redwood Coast Regional Center?

What does Redwood Coast Regional Center do?

• Adaptive skills trainingA trained professional teaches daily skills at home. RCRC’s guidelines list adaptive skills trainers with behavior services, and the first approval usually runs 3 to 6 months, with more after that.
• RespiteSomeone watches your family member so you can take a break. RCRC usually gives 20 to 90 hours every 3 months, based on what your family says it needs.
• Counseling and behavior helpFor a problem that gets in the way of daily life. Your family has to agree to take part.
• Social activities and campRCRC doesn’t check income for these, and you don’t give up IHSS or respite to get them.
• Diapers and pull-upsAfter 36 months. Pull-ups can be used to help with toilet training.
• Travel costsParents of children can be paid back for mileage, parking, bus fare and tolls when travel is hard on the family.
• Day programsUp to 5 days a week, with training in self-help, communication and getting along with others.
• Preschool helpWhen a school preschool isn’t open or isn’t right, RCRC may help for a while.

RCRC is the payer of last resort. Insurance, schools and other programs come first. Still, RCRC says waiting on a denial letter won’t hold up a service that’s urgently needed.

Who qualifies for RCRC, and how do I apply?

Step by step

1. Leave a message on your county’s line.Del Norte and Humboldt: (707) 445-0893, ext. 309, or ext. 308 in Spanish. Lake and Mendocino: (707) 462-3832, ext. 259, or ext. 258 in Spanish.
2. Fill out the packet.RCRC mails you an intake packet, or you can download it. It comes in English, Spanish, Hmong and Chinese. Drop it off or mail it to your local office. For help filling it out, call (707) 445-0893, ext. 358.
3. The assessment.An intake specialist and a licensed psychologist look at thinking skills and everyday skills, and sometimes test for autism. It can take up to 120 days.

Who qualifies, explained simply: our eligibility page.

Common questions about RCRC

How do I get hold of my RCRC service coordinator?

• Email, so it’s on record.Find your coordinator in RCRC’s staff directory, which you can sort by office. RCRC’s guidelines strongly suggest putting requests for plan changes in writing.
• 30 days for a service request.RCRC says your coordinator will respond to a request for a new or changed service within 30 days. It posts no reply time for everyday calls or emails.
• Texting works too.RCRC’s privacy policy says you can text your coordinator. You can choose texting on the intake form, or just send the first text.
• Next, the supervisor.If you’re unhappy with the help you get, RCRC says to talk with the coordinator’s supervisor. Supervisors are Team Leaders and Client Services Managers. Ask your coordinator which one is theirs.
• Keep a record.The state’s guide on RCRC’s site says to write down when you called, who you spoke with and what they said. Note voicemails and emails too.
• A new coordinator.RCRC’s guidelines say it will try to fix the problem, or assign another coordinator if that’s what you want.

How do I get adaptive skills training through RCRC?

1. Write to your coordinator.Ask for adaptive skills training from Aldera, and copy team@aldera.org. Here’s a ready-made email. Say what daily tasks are hard right now.
2. Ask for a decision-maker.RCRC’s guidelines say someone who can approve services comes to the meeting when a request goes past its usual list. Ask for that person, so it’s decided that day.
3. Sign the plan.Services start once you sign. You don’t have to agree to every part of the plan to sign it. Just make sure adaptive skills training is written in.
4. We start at home.After RCRC approves it, we visit your home, meet your family member and set first goals together.

RCRC gives you at least two weeks’ written notice of a planning meeting. It can be at your home, at an RCRC office or another place, at a time that works for you.

How do I get my family member’s file from RCRC?

• Ask your coordinator, in writing.Ask to see the file, or for copies of the reports you need. You can pick them up, or get them by email or mail.
• 3 business days.RCRC must let you see the file within 3 business days. For a child in Early Start, a copy is due within 5 business days.
• Sending them to IHSS.IHSS wants its SOC 873 health form signed by a licensed professional. It must also take other papers with the same facts, like an IPP. Applying for IHSS? See the most hours IHSS can give and protective supervision.

How do I get school help on the North Coast?

1. Ask your school in writing.Write to your child’s teacher, principal or school psychologist and ask for a special education assessment. Date it and keep a copy.
2. 15 days for a plan.The district has 15 days to send an assessment plan. You get at least 15 days to look it over.
3. 60 days after you sign.Testing and the IEP meeting must happen within 60 days of your signed OK.
4. Bring your coordinator.You can invite your RCRC coordinator and bring RCRC’s reports. Ask early, since coordinators cover big areas.
5. Turning 3.RCRC starts the move to preschool around 2 years and 9 months. A psychologist checks again between 30 and 36 months, and the meeting with the school is at least 90 days before the birthday.

Special education contacts in the four counties

• Humboldt-Del Norte SELPACovers 31 districts in both counties. Start with your own district, or call the SELPA in Eureka at (707) 441-2051 or email hdnselpa@hcoe.org.
• Eureka City SchoolsStudent Services handles special education. Call (707) 441-2422.
• Del Norte UnifiedOne district serves all of Del Norte County. Special Education: (707) 464-0725. Its Adult Transition Program serves ages 18 to 22.
• Ukiah UnifiedSpecial education from birth through 22, working with the Mendocino County SELPA. Call the special education office at (707) 472-5057.
• Fort Bragg and Mendocino CountyFort Bragg Unified sends families to the county office of education’s special education department, (707) 467-5060. The Mendocino County SELPA is at (707) 467-5166.
• Lake CountyContact your district first: Konocti Unified, which covers Clearlake, at (707) 994-6475, or Lakeport Unified at (707) 262-3017. The Lake County SELPA is at (707) 262-4131.

Every district follows the same state timelines. School can last until a diploma, a certificate or age 22.

Where can North Coast parents get support?

• A family resource center in each county.For families of young children, the state lists one per county. Del Norte: Family Resource Center of the Redwoods, (707) 464-0955. Humboldt: Changing Tides Family Services, (800) 795-3554. Lake: Lake Family Resource Center, (707) 279-0563. Mendocino: Raise and Shine, (707) 234-3300.
• A Spanish-language parent group.RCRC hosts a group in Spanish at its Ukiah office on the first Friday of each month. Call (707) 234-5415.