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Regional Center Services

WAYS our team can support you and your family

Respite care

Relief support for families

Respite is used to relieve family members from the responsibility of providing ongoing care. It provides a safe break while a trained W.A.Y.S caregiver supports their loved one at home — preventing family burnout and keeping families strong.

What to expect

You and your family may qualify for respite services when a person with developmental or intellectual disabilities needs more care and supervision than same-age peers, and their family is in need of relief. Hours and service type depend on what your family needs — work with your service coordinator to decide what fits best.

Companionship

Supervision

Engagement

Toileting

Feeding

Washing

Are you tired? Do you need a break from caring for your child or loved one with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD)? You are not alone, and taking time for yourself does not make you any less devoted. WAYS offers two respite options, built around what works for your family.

Agency respite

WAYS sends a trained caregiver to your home to care for your loved one and give you and your family a break. The regional center pays WAYS directly, and we handle scheduling.

EOR respite

Already trust someone to care for your loved one? They can become your Employer of Record respite caregiver through WAYS. The regional center pays WAYS, and we pay them. The caregiver must be 18+, CPR certified, and live outside your home.

Personal assistant

One-on-one daily living support

A Personal Assistant helps children and adults with developmental disabilities manage daily living tasks so families and advocates get the extra hands they need.

What to expect

W.A.Y.S staff can assist with tasks that would otherwise be difficult — such as getting up and ready for work, bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, and running errands. PA is a case-by-case service built around your Individual Program Plan (IPP); your planning team looks at the support already in place and determines the hours needed. PA cannot be provided by a parent or spouse, and is reviewed at least annually to make sure it still fits.

Feeding

Dressing

Washing

Toileting

Mobility

Transferring

Examples of support

At home

Walking and moving around
Meals and Hydration
Bathing and grooming
Light housekeeping
Laundry
Dressing

At school

Getting ready for school
Attending school events
Support between classes

In the community

Doctor appointments
Grocery shopping
Attending day programs
Running errands

Eligibility

PA can support children with specialized care needs beyond typical daycare, adults 18+ living with family who need supervision during work hours, individuals bridging a gap in day program services, ILS or SLS clients who need more hours than their program provides, and students attending college or university.

Every family's need for personal assistance looks different — a parent covering a work shift, a young adult finishing community college, a gap between day programs. Whatever your situation, WAYS can help you figure out whether PA is right for your family and walk you through two ways to receive it.

Agency PA

WAYS sends a trained caregiver to assist with daily living tasks at home, at school, or in the community. The regional center pays WAYS directly, and we handle scheduling.

EOR PA

Have someone you trust who could support your loved one? They can become your Employer of Record Personal Assistant through WAYS — though per state policy, this cannot be a parent or spouse. The regional center pays WAYS, and we pay them.

Coordinated family support

Family education and planning

CFS helps adults with developmental disabilities who choose to live with their family coordinate and schedule the services and supports they receive — tailored to your family, not a one-size-fits-all plan.

What to expect

A CFS provider meets with you and your family to talk about your goals, then builds a plan across nine functional areas — from health and safety to self-advocacy. Along the way, CFS helps you access training, transportation, back-up providers, and self-advocacy groups, provided in your language and in a way that respects your culture.

Health and safety

Medication

Behavioral support

Community

Personal care

Daily living

Employment

Education

Self-advocacy

Eligibility

Adults 18 years and older who live with their family.

CFS is a newer service built for adults with developmental disabilities who choose to live with their family — created after families told regional centers what was missing. If your family could use help coordinating services, planning for the future, or connecting to training and resources, here is how to get started.

1. Tell your team

Let your Regional Center Service Coordinator know you are interested in CFS.

2. Meet as a team

They will schedule an IPP meeting to see how CFS can support you and your family.

3. Build your plan

A CFS provider meets with you and your family to build a plan across all 9 functional areas — tailored to your goals.

Independent Living Services

Build routines, confidence, and real-world independence

New

ILS teaches adults with developmental disabilities the practical skills they need to live as independently as possible — one goal, one habit, one routine at a time.

What to expect

A trained ILS specialist works one-on-one on the skills of everyday life: routines, cooking, cleaning, laundry, home organization, hygiene, and meal planning at home; budgeting, shopping, bill payments, and understanding programs like SSI and CalABLE; and getting out into the community with practice on public transportation, appointments, errands, safety, and self-advocacy.

Community access

Transportation training

Money management

Executive functioning

Eligibility

Support for adults with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, epilepsy, and other developmental disabilities.

Six W.A.Y.S. to independence — turning big goals into clear, real-life skills. Here is what ILS support can look like, one track at a time.

Life

Daily living and home routines

Building steady habits that make home life easier, safer, and more predictable.

Cooking, meal planning, and grocery routines
Cleaning, laundry, and home organization
Morning, evening, and weekly routines
Personal care reminders and home safety

Money

Budgeting and financial confidence

Helping adults use money with more confidence, awareness, and safety.

Budgeting SSI, income, or personal funds
Shopping with price awareness
Bill reminders and payment routines
CalABLE, banking, and benefits basics

Health

Health and wellness routines

Simple, respectful support for health related habits and preparation.

Medication reminders and wellness routines
Doctor visit preparation
Healthy meals and movement habits
Coping tools and emotional regulation support

Tech

Technology and digital safety

Using phones, apps, and reminders in ways that support independence.

Calendar, alarms, and reminder systems
Texting, phone calls, and email basics
Online safety and scam awareness
Using maps, transit apps, and support tools

Connect

Social skills and community life

Support for friendships, boundaries, confidence, and meaningful community access.

Conversation and social practice
Healthy boundaries and relationship awareness
Community outings and local activities
Work, school, volunteering, and recreation routines

Express

Self-advocacy and communication

Helping each person speak up, share needs, and participate in their own planning.

Preparing for IPP meetings and service conversations
Sharing preferences, needs, and concerns
Learning rights, choices, and responsibilities
Decision making and problem solving support

Supportive Living Services

Ongoing support to live safely and with dignity

Helps adults with developmental disabilities live in their own home or apartment with flexible, person-centered support. The individual chooses where they live and how they want to be supported.

What to expect

WAYS provides ongoing support with routines, meals, reminders, home organization, and daily responsibilities — plus coordination for medical appointments, community activities, and self-advocacy — so life at home stays stable, safe, and centered on the individual's own goals.

Home stability

Health and safety

Community living

Daily routines

Real-life responsibilities

Choice and self-advocacy

Eligibility

Adults with developmental disabilities — including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, and epilepsy — who live in their own home or are preparing to, and need ongoing support to live safely and with dignity.

SLS is built around one idea: you choose where you live and how you want to be supported. Here is a closer look at the areas of everyday life SLS can support.

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