California special education has its own timelines, agencies, and regional structures. Compare advocates who can help you turn records, concerns, and missed services into a focused plan for your child.
3 based in California · 8 virtual advocates who work with California schools
California families may work with a school district, a charter school, and a regional Special Education Local Plan Area, or SELPA. Those layers can make a simple question, who is responsible for evaluating or serving my child, harder than it sounds.
An advocate can help identify the responsible agency, organize the record, and prepare the parent for the decision that comes next. That may be an assessment request, an eligibility meeting, an IEP revision, a local resolution process, or a formal complaint.
California terms parents will see
These California terms identify the local agencies, regional structures, documents, and processes families commonly encounter.
Before the meeting an advocate reads the plan against the evaluation and pulls the progress data to see whether the goals actually moved.
Families in San Diego ask for progress data as a table of dates and numbers rather than a paragraph, because a table shows whether a goal moved and a paragraph does not.
These advocates list California as their home base. Compare rates, read their backgrounds, and message them directly.
By video
Join on Zoom, Google Meet, or the school's platform.
By phone
Call in when video is not an option.
In person
Some advocates travel to the school when needed.
Based in Torrance, CA
Special Education Advocate
I’m April, and I'm totally excited to help you develop a solid action plan for your child! After writing thousands of reports and just as many IEPs, I developed breakthrough coaching methods, Do It…
Based in San Diego, CA
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
Based in Los Angeles, CA
Strategic Special Education Advocate
I combine the precision of a Columbia Law attorney with over a decade of special education leadership to help Los Angeles families navigate the IEP process with clarity, confidence, and results.
These advocates are not based in California. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Coraopolis, PA · works with California schools
Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate
Hi there! I'm Brittany, owner and founder of Balanced Behaviors, LLC. I'm a Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Special Education from Slippery Rock…
Virtual · based in Midland, TX · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with California schools
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with California schools
Founder
I’m Russell Lloyd, founder of YourChild.org, author, mentor, and special education advocate. I review the record, find the gaps, build the strategy, prepare the parent, and lead IEP meetings.
Virtual · based in Arlington Heights, IL · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools.
Virtual · based in Wesley Chapel, FL · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate
With 24 years of experience in the K-12 sector, I serves as a Student Support Specialist specializing in academic and behavioral ESE services.
Virtual · based in Bloomington, IL · works with California schools
Founder & Advocate
Jade is a former special education teacher who has taught everything from pre-k all the way to transition classrooms with students up to age 21.
Virtual · based in Newcastle, OK · works with California schools
Special Education Advocate - IEP Consultant
Former special education teacher and educational advocate with experience on both sides of the IEP table.
California separates the referral, assessment-plan, consent, assessment, and IEP-team stages. The deadline parents hear most often, the 60-day assessment timeline, does not begin merely because a concern was mentioned to a teacher.
Describe the suspected areas of disability and the educational impact you are seeing. A written referral creates a clearer record than an informal conversation and helps define what the agency must consider.
The agency generally must provide a proposed assessment plan within 15 calendar days of the referral, excluding specified school breaks. The plan should cover every suspected area, not only the disability category the school first mentions.
After the parent provides written consent, the assessment and initial IEP-team process generally must be completed within 60 calendar days, subject to California exclusions and statutory exceptions.
The team must consider the assessments and other information, determine eligibility, and, if the child is eligible, develop an IEP based on the child’s unique needs rather than a preset program.
Exceptions and extensions
A California compliance complaint is strongest when each allegation identifies a legal duty, a dated act or omission, supporting records, and the corrective action needed. It is different from due process and from a local SELPA resolution process.
Decision timeline
CDE generally must resolve a complete complaint within 60 days.
The timeline may be extended for exceptional circumstances or when the parties agree to extend it to use mediation or another dispute-resolution process.
California does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone here can print a card with the word advocate on it.
A certificate says nothing about Los Angeles. Ask what the advocate has filed with a district here and what came back.
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in California can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
Districts in Los Angeles and San Diego answer to the parent on the paperwork, so an advocate can draft the letter and you still have to be the one who sends it.
A state complaint is one path. Mediation, facilitation, due process, OCR, and local escalation each solve a different problem.
3 advocates on this page are based in California. The others work with families here by video.
Read a profile for what the advocate actually did and not for what the profile claims. Case detail is the tell.
Remote work is normal in special education now. Documents move by email and the meeting runs on a call.
Ask how the meeting will run before you hire. A school that has never held a video IEP will need lead time.
How it works
Find Parent Advocates is a free directory, not a referral service. You browse profiles, compare rates and reviews, and contact the advocate you choose. We do not assign anyone to you.
Browse
Read the profiles on this page. Rates, service area and case history are the three worth comparing.
Contact
Send the same two questions to everybody, which are the rate and the first date they can meet.
Hire
You hire the advocate directly. The agreement is between the two of you.
Work together
Send the file, take the prep call and go into the meeting with a written list.
Find Parent Advocates is not a party to your contractual relationship with the advocate. We are not responsible for the fees or services provided.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in California, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is a SELPA, and does it replace my school district?
No. A SELPA coordinates regional special education planning and resources, but the responsible district or charter school usually remains the public agency that evaluates the child and implements the IEP.
Can California require interventions before accepting an assessment request?
Schools may use intervention systems, but intervention activities cannot be used to deny or improperly delay an evaluation when the district suspects a disability or a parent requests an evaluation and the legal evaluation standard is met.
Should I file a complaint or due process in California?
A compliance complaint often fits documented violations of a clear legal duty. Due process may be more appropriate when the dispute requires a hearing officer to decide individualized FAPE, placement, reimbursement, or competing expert evidence.
Can an advocate attend a California IEP meeting?
A parent may invite an individual with knowledge or special expertise regarding the child. Families should clarify the advocate’s role and provide records early enough for meaningful preparation.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in California?
Flat fees are common for a single meeting and hourly billing is common for everything else. Many advocates give a free first call. Nobody bills you through this site, so ask each person how they invoice.
At what point do parents usually call an advocate?
No fixed trigger exists. The useful test is whether you can tell from the paperwork what the school is actually offering, and whether the last thing you asked for came back in writing.
These links connect you to your state education agency and complaint options. Advocates on this page can also explain what each step means for your child.
Last reviewed 2026-08-02.
