Resources for Families

• Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC)
• Casa Familiar
• Child Development Associates (CDA)
• Equitable Communities — SDC Health & Human Services Agency
• Exceptional Family Resource Center (EFRC)
• FERIA Partnership
• Home of Guiding Hands (HGH)
• HOPE Inc.
• National City Fire Department
• Navy Child and Youth Programs
• Reach Out to Families Resource Center
• San Diego County Library
• San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE)
• San Diego Regional Center (SDRC)
• South County SELPA Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
• Special Needs Resource Foundation
• The Inclusion Way

• Chula Vista Elementary School District
• Coronado Unified School District
• Davila Day School
• Friendship School — San Diego County Office of Education
• HOPE Infant Family Support Program — San Diego County Office of Education
• National School District
• San Ysidro School District
• South Bay Union School District
• Southwestern College
• Sweetwater Union High School District
• TASK | Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego

• Excel Together
• Miracle League of San Diego
• Outside The Lens
• Serenity Bonita
• Unified Esports League
• Sports for Exceptional Athletes

• Amigas Punto Com
• Family Health Centers of San Diego
• Imperial Beach Community Clinic (IB Clinic)
• Jr.’s Trauma Care Initiative
• Molina Healthcare

• A Better Life Together, Inc.
• Adjoin
• CalABLE
• California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)
• California Resource Services for Independent Living (CRS-IL)
• Connections for Adults Living Independently (CALI)
• Options For All
• Self Determined Futures

• Autism Society San Diego
• Deaf Community Services of San Diego (DCS)
• Easterseals Southern California
• James Cerebral Palsy Foundation
• United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego

What is a SELPA?

A SELPA is a state-mandated consortium that provides for all the special education service needs of children residing within the regional boundaries. There are approximately 116 SELPA's in California. Each SELPA develops and is governed by a LOCAL PLAN describing how it provides special education services.

The South County SELPA is considered a multi-district SELPA, supporting the following school districts: Chula Vista Elementary School District, Coronado Unified School District, National School District, San Ysidro School District, South Bay Union School District, Sweetwater Union High School District, Davila Day School, and other SDCOE programs. 

What are the responsibilities of the SELPA?

It is the SELPA’s responsibility to assure programs are available for all students with disabilities, from birth until age 22. The SELPA must see that programs provide any needed services for any student with an exceptional need, and to assist in inter-SELPA placements, provide technical assistance, and administrative support for the many requirements of the new laws and requirements being placed on districts.

The SELPA responsibility is met through a network of cooperative agreements among districts and agencies. The SELPA Office coordinates this network and provides a focal point for the student/family seeking information and services.

SELPA responsibilities include such things as:

• Ensuring programs/services are available for all children with disabilities
• Curriculum/Program Development
• Special Education Compliance Assistance
• Program Coordination
• Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Support
• Training for Special Education Information Systems and CALPADS Support
• Transition Planning
• Personnel Development
• Budget Planning and Fiscal Management
• Interagency Coordination
• Itinerant Services (Occupational Therapy, Orientation & Mobility, Teacher of the Visually Impaired) 
• Program Specialists
• Community Awareness
• Local Plan and Policy Development
• Special Education Resource Assistants 

The South County SELPA aims to provide information, resources and support to all South County students, parents, and school staff. Contact our office if you have any questions or need additional information. 

The South County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) ensures that all individuals with disabilities 0 - 21 years of age who reside in the member districts, regardless of the severity of their disability, shall be identified, located, and assessed. This is accomplished through the use of a continuous child find system procedure that addresses the relationships among identification, screening, referral, assessment, planning, implementation, review, and the triennial assessment.

The continuous child find system encompasses all children regardless of their disabilities, including those who may be homeless or are wards of the state; children with disabilities attending private, including religious elementary and secondary schools; highly mobile children, including migrant children; and children who are suspected of being a child with a disability though they are advancing from grade to grade.

The South County SELPA Child Find system incorporates these components:

• Infants and toddlers (birth to three years): The HOPE Infant Family Support Program provides coordinated services for infants and toddlers with disabilities or at risk for developmental delays and their families as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Part C and the California Early Intervention Services Act. The HOPE program is part of California Early Start, an interagency system of coordinated services administered by the CA Department of Developmental Services (DDS) in collaboration with the CA Department of Education and is operated by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE). At this time, HOPE works in collaboration with the Exceptional Family Resource Center (EFRC) and San Diego Regional Center to ensure that quality early intervention services, including initial referral and evaluation, are made available at no cost to families. The EFRC serves as a "Point of Entry” for CA Early Start Services and processes referrals to the Regional Center. Information about referrals for Early Start Services is available to the public from the EFRC (800-281-8252) and the DDS Early Start Central Directory at www.dds.ca.gov/earlystart. A description of additional child find activities conducted by South County SELPA districts for infants and toddlers can be found in the Local Interagency Agreement for California’s Early Start Program between San Diego Regional Center, San Diego Special Education Local Plan Areas, and other participating agencies.
• Preschoolers (3 years to kindergarten age): Infants and toddlers receiving early education services from HOPE and/or San Diego Regional Center through an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) will participate in transition activities identified in the SELPA Local Plan. These students will directly transition, as eligible, from services under IDEA - Part C to services provided by their district of residence under IDEA - Part B. All parents and/or guardians receive information regarding the special education referral process and the continuum of preschool services available within the districts of the South County SELPA from the family’s district of residence to continue efforts to identify children who have disabilities and have not previously been identified.
• School Age Children: Local schools within the SELPA use systematic methods of utilizing referrals for special education from teachers, parents and other adults. Staff are trained on the requirements for providing assistance to parents/guardians and teachers who wish to make such a referral. Designated staff, who may include special education specialists, school psychologists, program specialists or district administrators, are responsible for providing information about special education to parents when parents have a concern and/or it is suspected that a child may have a disability, and for accepting referrals and tracking timelines. When a student is experiencing academic and/or social/emotional difficulties, school site Student Study Team processes are utilized at school sites. Pertinent student information is collected to develop student action plans. These plans specify and monitor the student's progress while he/she is receiving general education research-based interventions in areas of concern. Nonetheless, all requested referrals for special education evaluation are processed according to legal mandates.

If you believe your child may have special education needs, please contact your local school of attendance, or the special education department in your school district office. If you need additional support, you can also call the South County SELPA Office for assistance (619) 470-5252.

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Child Find
Each Local Education Agency (LEA) must locate all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private, including religious, elementary schools and secondary schools located in the school district served by the LEA.  In carrying out the requirements of this section, the LEA must undertake activities similar to the activities undertaken for the agency’s public school children. The child find process must be completed in a time period comparable to that for students attending public schools in the LEA. 

Who to Contact
If you suspect that your student is in need of an assessment for special education services, contact the District Representative below, where the private school is located.  

LEA / District Special Education PPPSS Contacts:

Professional development opportunities facilitated by the South County SELPA are open to private school parents, and school staff. Parents and staff are encouraged to sign up for our SELPA newsletters to receive up to date information. 

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Are you a parent looking for valuable resources, updates, and tips to support your child’s education? Sign up for our monthly South County SELPA Parent Newsletter! Every edition is packed with important information on special education, upcoming events, community resources, and more. Don’t miss out on the latest tools and programs that can help you navigate your child’s educational journey.

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