Words we use
The regional center system uses a lot of short names and special words. Here is what they mean.
- ARCA
- The Association of Regional Center Agencies. It brings California’s 21 regional centers together.
- DDS
- The California Department of Developmental Services. It funds regional centers, including us.
- Early Start
- Our program for babies and toddlers, from birth to 36 months, who are behind in their development or likely to be.
- Eligibility
- Whether a person can get services from us. The law sets the rules.
- Fair hearing
- A way to disagree with a decision we made. A judge listens to both sides and decides.
- IEP
- Individualized Education Program. A plan from your child’s school about their education.
- IFSP
- Individualized Family Service Plan. The plan for a baby or toddler in Early Start and their family.
- IHSS
- In-Home Supportive Services. A program that can pay for help at home. It is run by the county, not by us.
- Intake
- The first step with us: you apply, and we find out if you can get services.
- IPP
- Individual Program Plan. The plan for a person 3 or older. It lists the services they need. You write it with us.
- Lanterman Act
- The California law that says who can get services from regional centers, for people 3 and older.
- OCRA
- The Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy. It gives free help to protect your rights. It is separate from us.
- Provisional eligibility
- For children who are 3 or 4: getting services for a time without a diagnosis.
- SCDD
- The State Council on Developmental Disabilities.
- Service coordinator
- Your main contact at WRC. They help you plan and get your services.
- Self-Determination Program
- A way to get your services with more choice and control over who provides them.
- Vendor
- A service provider: a person or business that provides services to the people we serve.
- Vendorization
- How a service provider gets approved to work with us.
- WFREC
- The Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center. Support for families, from other families.
To confirm · Two definitions
The IHSS and Self-Determination Program definitions are our short explanations, not text from your site. WRC staff confirm them.
Design noteIn WordPress, each word is one glossary entry. The first time a page uses one of these words, it links here. The RFP asks to “remove acronyms”: on the production site, a page spells a name out in full, and this list catches the ones families will still hear in meetings.