The South Central Los Angeles Regional Center (SCLARC) guide

How do I reach SCLARC?

How do I reach my SCLARC service coordinator?

• Write, don’t just call.Send a message in SCLARC’s Family Portal app, or email your coordinator (SCLARC addresses end in @sclarc.org). The app comes through your coordinator. You can also call (213) 744-7000 and ask for them by name.
• Give it a few business days.SCLARC doesn’t publish a deadline for coordinators to write back. If a few business days pass with no reply, move on to the next step.
• Call Individual Case Assistance.That’s SCLARC’s help line for reaching a coordinator: 1-833-725-2721, or email cmhelp@sclarc.org (age 3 and up). For a child under 3, write to earlystarthelp@sclarc.org.
• Next, the Program Manager.The Family Portal app shows your coordinator’s manager and how to reach them, or ask the help line for the name. Above that, SCLARC’s At a Glance book lists its case management leaders with direct phone lines.
• Keep a short log.Jot down the date, who you talked to and what they promised. Answer on the same email thread each time, so the whole story stays together.
• Need a different coordinator?You can ask for one, since state law says a coordinator stays only while everyone agrees. When yours changes for good, SCLARC must tell you in writing within 10 business days.

What does SCLARC pay for?

• Adaptive skills trainingA professional teaches practical skills where you live, like bathing or making a snack, so they can manage more without you.
• RespiteA few hours when someone else looks after things and you get time for yourself.
• Behavior servicesHelp for behavior that makes home, school or outings hard.
• Day programsPlaces adults go on weekdays to learn, work on skills and be social.
• Help living on your ownStaff support for an adult living in their own apartment.
• Social recreation and campActivities for fun, like teams, lessons and camp.
• RidesTransportation to services listed in the plan.
• DiapersFor a child who is 3 or older.

SCLARC pays after everyone else. The school district, Medi-Cal, insurance or IHSS goes first if it should cover the need.

How do I get adaptive skills training through SCLARC?

1. Email your coordinator.Ask for adaptive skills training with Aldera, and copy team@aldera.org so we see it too. Here’s the email.
2. Ask for a plan meeting.You don’t have to wait for your yearly one. SCLARC has 30 days to meet after you ask, or 7 days if it’s needed for health and safety or to keep someone living at home.
3. Watch for it in the Family Portal.SCLARC’s Family Portal app shows your plan and the services SCLARC has approved, and you can message your coordinator there. Ask your coordinator to set you up.
4. We visit your home.When SCLARC approves it, we start with a visit to your home to meet your family member and choose goals together. You don’t have to pick a number of hours up front.

At the end of the IPP meeting, you sign a list of the services everyone agreed on. It should give a start date for adaptive skills training, or an estimated one if a provider still has to be found.

How do I get my family member’s evaluation and IPP from SCLARC?

• Ask your coordinator in writing.Name the reports you need, like the most recent psychological evaluation, in an email or an app message. You can ask to pick them up or to get them by email or mail.
• SCLARC has 3 business days.By state law, SCLARC must let you see the file within 3 business days of your request. You also have a right to a copy, for no more than the copying costs. If you can’t afford it, say so, and it’s free.
• Print the IPP from the app.The Family Portal app lets you download and print your current IPP. If you ask for a written copy instead, it must reach you within 45 days, in the language you ask for.
• For SSI or IHSS.Social Security asks for copies of any medical or school records you have, and reports from a psychologist count. IHSS uses its own health form, the SOC 873. It must also accept an IPP that has the same facts and a licensed professional’s signature.

How do I get school support in South LA and nearby cities?

1. Ask in writing.Write a short, dated letter or email asking the school to assess your child for special education. Keep a copy, and check your district below for where it goes.
2. Look for a plan within 15 days.The district has 15 days to send you a written assessment plan. School breaks longer than 5 school days don’t count.
3. Sign it, and the 60 days begin.Once the district gets your signed plan, testing and the IEP meeting must both happen within 60 days. Long breaks don’t count here either.
4. Bring backup.State law lets you bring anyone who knows your child to the IEP meeting. You can also give the school copies of SCLARC’s evaluations if they help.
5. Turning 3?At least 90 days before the third birthday, you and your coordinator meet with the school district to plan the move. SCLARC has a specialist who works with districts on this: (323) 998-9530.

Where to send your request

• Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD)Send it to your neighborhood school, where staff can help you write it; for questions, call School and Family Support Services at (213) 241-6701. For a child in Early Start, your SCLARC coordinator refers them to LAUSD at least 60 days before age 3.
• Compton UnifiedGive your written request to your child’s school, or call the Special Education office at (310) 639-4321, ext. 55107. For a child in Early Start, Compton holds the last Early Start meeting and the first IEP together before age 3, with your SCLARC coordinator there.
• Lynwood UnifiedSend your written request to the district’s Special Education Department; the director’s line is (310) 886-1600, ext. 8139. For a child age 3 or 4, start by picking up the “yellow packet” at the district office, with ID and two utility bills.
• Paramount UnifiedCall the Special Education Department at (562) 602-6033. The Mid-Cities SELPA, which covers Paramount, says the request itself must be in writing to the district.
• Downey UnifiedDowney doesn’t post where the written request goes, so ask Special Education Services at (562) 469-6581. Under its SELPA’s rules, a child who turns 3 between June 1 and August 30 has the IEP before June 1.

In another district, ask the school office where written requests go; the same state timelines apply.

How do I become a SCLARC client?

The steps

1. Refer yourself or your child.Call (213) 744-7000, extension 3227, email lantermanintake@sclarc.org, or use the online form in English or Spanish.
2. SCLARC gathers information.It may ask for medical and school records, like IEPs. A psychologist or other expert may do an assessment. It’s free.
3. SCLARC decides.It has up to 120 days, or 60 days if waiting would put the person at risk. A child who is 3 or 4 can sometimes qualify before a diagnosis.

Read more on who qualifies on our eligibility page.

Is there help just for parents?

• McClaney Family Resource Center.SCLARC runs it with Early Start funding, inside both offices. It supports families of babies, children and adults, and every workshop is in English and Spanish. Call (213) 744-8882 (Los Angeles) or (213) 744-8883 (South Gate), email SclarcFRC@sclarc.org, or read about it.

Quick answers