Guides for parents
Where to take the kids, which classes to try, how child care works and what it costs, and help for kids with special needs. Each guide lists real places and programs, with what you need to choose between them.
October
In season now
Sacramento area · Holidays and seasons
Christmas Lights in Sacramento 2026
Free neighborhood streets, family light shows you can hear on your car radio, and the ticketed shows with 2026 dates, from East Sacramento to Roseville, Elk Grove and Folsom.
Sacramento area · Holidays and seasons
Sacramento Christmas Events for Kids
Holiday trains, the Nutcracker, where to see Santa, tree lightings and parades by town, Christmas markets and cut-your-own tree farms around Sacramento, with 2026 dates where they’re posted.
Sacramento area · Holidays and seasons
Ice Skating in Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom
Where to skate in the Sacramento area this winter, with 2026–27 season dates, what a session costs, learn-to-skate classes for kids, and tips for little skaters.
Anywhere in the US · Camps and everyday life
Summer Programs for Teens: Free, Paid and Research Programs for 2027
Research, medical, engineering, math and leadership programs for high school students in summer 2027, with who can apply, what each costs and its application deadline, checked on every program’s own page.
Sacramento area
Roseville, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rocklin, Davis and the rest: where to go, what to sign up for, and who to call.
Holidays and seasonsIn season
Christmas Lights in Sacramento 2026
Free neighborhood streets, family light shows you can hear on your car radio, and the ticketed shows with 2026 dates, from East Sacramento to Roseville, Elk Grove and Folsom.
Holidays and seasonsIn season
Sacramento Christmas Events for Kids
Holiday trains, the Nutcracker, where to see Santa, tree lightings and parades by town, Christmas markets and cut-your-own tree farms around Sacramento, with 2026 dates where they’re posted.
Holidays and seasonsIn season
Ice Skating in Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom
Where to skate in the Sacramento area this winter, with 2026–27 season dates, what a session costs, learn-to-skate classes for kids, and tips for little skaters.
Play and parties
Indoor Playgrounds and Trampoline Parks in Sacramento
Soft-play gyms, play cafés, trampoline parks and a ninja gym across Sacramento, Roseville, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rocklin, Rancho Cordova and Orangevale, with the ages each suits, what open play costs, socks and toddler times.
Play and parties
Kids’ Birthday Party Places in Sacramento
Trampoline and gym parties, Fairytale Town and the zoo, pottery and art studios, laser tag and bowling across Sacramento, Roseville, Elk Grove, Folsom and West Sacramento, with what each package includes and costs.
Classes, lessons and sports
Youth Sports Sign-Ups in Sacramento for Spring 2027
When to sign up, who can join and what it costs, for baseball, softball, soccer, flag and tackle football and basketball leagues from Natomas and Roseville to Elk Grove, Folsom and Davis.
Classes, lessons and sports
Piano and Music Lessons for Kids in Sacramento
Music schools and teachers across the Sacramento area that teach children, town by town, with the youngest age each takes, private or group lessons, posted prices and recitals.
Help and paying for it
Alta California Regional Center: Offices, Intake and Services
Alta Regional is the door to state-funded help for children with autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy or epilepsy, and for babies with delays, in Sacramento and nine nearby counties. Here is how it works.
Doctors and dentists
Pediatric Dentists Around Sacramento, Town by Town
Kids-only dental practices from Natomas and Elk Grove to Auburn and Davis, with what their own pages say about board certification, sedation, special needs and Medi-Cal, plus how to choose and how Medi-Cal Dental works here.
For parents anywhere
The questions every parent searches: when to start, what it costs, how to choose.
Play and parties
Kids’ Birthday Party Places: Venue Ideas for Every Age
Seventeen kinds of birthday party venues, from a first birthday to a teen’s, with the ages each suits, what a package usually covers and the prices national chains posted in October 2026.
Classes, lessons and sports
Infant Swimming Lessons: When to Start and What to Expect
Swim classes for babies and toddlers anywhere in the US: what the AAP says about age, what lessons look like from 6 months to 4, ten programs side by side, what they cost, and how to keep babies safe in and around water.
Classes, lessons and sports
Mommy and Me Classes: Baby and Toddler Classes by Age
Thirteen kinds of parent-and-child classes, from newborn music and baby yoga to toddler soccer, with the age each starts, what a class is like and what it costs where it’s posted. Dads, grandparents and nannies welcome.
Classes, lessons and sports
Music Lessons for Kids: When to Start and What They Cost
Early childhood classes and eight instruments, each with the age most kids start, what lessons and rentals cost, and the programs to know, from Suzuki and Yamaha to School of Rock.
Classes, lessons and sports
Martial Arts for Kids: 10 Styles Compared
Karate, taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo and six more styles side by side: what each teaches, when kids can start, how belts work, what classes cost and how to spot a good school.
Child care and preschool
What Age Is Preschool? Ages for Pre-K, TK and Kindergarten
Daycare, preschool, pre-K, transitional kindergarten, Head Start, Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, co-ops and kindergarten: who each is for, what it costs and who runs it, with an age chart and every state’s kindergarten cutoff.
Child care and preschool
How Much Does Daycare Cost? Average Prices by State and Age
What full-time child care costs in every state, for infants, toddlers and 4-year-olds, in centers and home daycares, from a named source with its year, and the programs and tax breaks that bring the bill down.
Child care and preschool
How to Choose a Daycare: Questions to Ask and What to Look For
A checklist for finding child care you trust: when to start looking, a center or a home daycare, how to read a license and inspection reports in your state, safe ratios, the questions to ask on the tour, and the red flags.
Child care and preschool
Parents’ Night Out: Who Runs Them, Ages and Costs
Who runs kids’ night out programs across the US, what ages they take, what’s included and what one location charges, plus drop-in childcare for other nights and what to ask before you book.
Help and paying for it
How Much Does ABA Therapy Cost?
ABA is billed by the hour, so the total depends on how many hours your child needs and who pays. Real rates and yearly totals from public payers, and the ways families cover the cost, with California in detail.
Therapy and coaching
Executive Function Coaching for Kids and Teens
Coaching that helps kids and teens with ADHD or learning differences plan, start and finish their work: programs that coach online, LA coaches who meet in person, prices, and what to ask first.
Doctors and dentists
Emergency Pediatric Dentist: What to Do Right Now
Children’s dental emergencies one by one, from the AAPD, the AAE, the ADA and children’s hospitals: what to do in the first minutes, how fast to see a dentist, when the ER is the right call, and how to find care after hours.
Camps and everyday lifeIn season
Summer Programs for Teens: Free, Paid and Research Programs for 2027
Research, medical, engineering, math and leadership programs for high school students in summer 2027, with who can apply, what each costs and its application deadline, checked on every program’s own page.
Los Angeles: kids with special needs
Testing, therapy, doctors, schools and camps across LA County, and how to get them paid for.
Testing and diagnosis
Autism Testing for Kids in Los Angeles
A diagnosis can open the door to therapy, school support and regional center services. Here’s who does autism evaluations for children across LA, what they cost where prices are posted, and the two public routes.
Testing and diagnosis
ADHD Testing for Kids in Los Angeles
Where LA kids and teens get evaluated for ADHD, what a full evaluation involves, what it costs, and how to ask your school district for a free assessment.
Testing and diagnosis
Dyslexia Testing in Los Angeles
Where LA families can get a child tested for dyslexia and other learning disabilities, from Beverly Hills to Thousand Oaks, and how to get your school district to test for free.
Help and paying for it
Regional Centers in Los Angeles County
Regional centers are California’s front door to services for people with developmental disabilities and for babies and toddlers with delays. LA County has seven, and your address decides which one is yours.
Therapy and coaching
In-Home ABA Therapy in Los Angeles
Agencies that send a therapist to your home, with a BCBA in charge of the plan. What each says about ages, areas and funding, and how LA families get ABA paid for.
Therapy and coaching
Pediatric Speech Therapy in Los Angeles
Clinics, in-home therapists and bilingual practices from Downtown to Long Beach, with what each one treats and how LA families pay for therapy.
Therapy and coaching
Pediatric Occupational Therapy in Los Angeles
Sensory gyms, in-home therapists and a hospital program from the Westside to Pasadena and the South Bay, with what to ask and who pays.
Therapy and coaching
Pediatric Physical Therapy in Los Angeles
Hospitals, clinics and in-home physical therapists for babies, kids and teens across LA, with what to ask and how to get it paid for.
Therapy and coaching
Feeding Therapy for Kids in Los Angeles
Speech and occupational therapists, hospital teams and ARFID specialists from Long Beach to the Valley, with the signs to watch for and how LA families pay.
Therapy and coaching
Social Skills Groups for Kids in Los Angeles
Where LA kids and teens with autism, ADHD or social anxiety can practice making friends: UCLA PEERS, clinic groups and nonprofits, by age, with what they cost and who pays.
Therapy and coaching
Equine Therapy and Hippotherapy in Los Angeles
Therapeutic riding programs and hippotherapy clinics for kids in and around LA: what each does, who it’s for, what it costs and how to get a spot.
Doctors and dentists
Child Psychiatrists in Los Angeles
Where LA families can get a psychiatric evaluation or medication for a child or teen, from UCLA and county clinics to private practices from Santa Monica to Pasadena and Long Beach.
Doctors and dentists
Child Psychologists in Los Angeles
Psychologists and group practices across LA who work with kids and teens, with what each one focuses on, what some charge, and how to get care covered.
Doctors and dentists
Special Needs Dentists in Los Angeles
Pediatric dentists, a hospital clinic and a dental school clinic across LA County whose own pages say they care for kids with special health care needs, plus how to choose, what sedation means and how to pay.
Schools and child care
Special Needs Schools in Los Angeles
Private special education schools and state-certified nonpublic schools across LA, from Pasadena to Torrance, and how an IEP can place your child in one at the district’s expense.
Schools and child care
Special Needs Daycare and Preschools in Los Angeles
Inclusive child care, autism and therapeutic preschools, and toddler groups across LA, with what each one offers and how the public routes work before and after age 3.
Camps and everyday life
Special Needs Summer Camps in Los Angeles
Day camps and sleepaway camps in and near LA for kids with autism, ADHD and other disabilities, and how to choose one, when to sign up and how to pay for it.
Camps and everyday life
Sensory-Friendly Haircuts in Los Angeles
Salons in Pasadena, Brentwood, Sherman Oaks, Encino and Long Beach whose own sites say they work with kids who find haircuts hard, and how to make any haircut easier.