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.
Special needs daycare in Los Angeles comes in a few forms: regular child care centers that include children with disabilities, autism-focused and therapeutic preschools, and small early intervention groups for toddlers. Before age 3, your regional center’s Early Start program evaluates your child at no cost and arranges services. From 3, your school district provides preschool special education through an IEP. Private programs set their own fees, and a few take Medi-Cal or insurance.
On this page
- 15 special needs daycares and preschools in Los Angeles
- Before age 3: Early Start through your regional center
- From age 3: preschool special education and the IEP
- Your child’s rights in regular daycare (the ADA)
- How to choose a special needs daycare or preschool
- Questions parents ask
- How we made this list
15 special needs daycares and preschools in Los Angeles
They’re grouped by kind: regular child care that includes children with disabilities, then autism-focused preschools, therapeutic and early intervention programs, programs for specific needs, and public school options through the IEP. Most are in the Valley, on the Westside or in central LA. We found few dedicated programs in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley; if you live there, ask your regional center about programs near you.
All About Kids Preschool
7123 Baird Ave, Reseda, CA 91335
Good for Full-day child care in a regular classroom
A child care center that welcomes children with additional needs into its regular infant, toddler and preschool classrooms, not a separate room. Before you enroll, staff talk through what support your child needs and what they can realistically give, then build changes in pacing, routines or communication into the day. It’s open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, all year.
- Infants, toddlers and preschoolers
- Open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., year round
- Support inside the regular classroom
allaboutkidspreschools.com (opens their site)818-343-1047On Summerground
Carousel School Early Intervention Program
Westchester · 7899 La Tijera Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Good for Babies and toddlers who’d thrive with typical peers
A bilingual, full-inclusion program for children from birth to 3 who have a disability or are at risk of delays. Children join a half-day class with typically developing peers while occupational, physical and speech therapists and behavior specialists work with them in the room, with at least one adult for every three children. Carousel provides transportation and takes children who walk and those who don’t.
- Birth to 3
- Half-day inclusive class
- Bilingual teachers and therapists
- Transportation provided
carouselschool.com (opens their site)310-645-9222On Summerground
Blind Children’s Center
East Hollywood · 4120 Marathon St, Los Angeles, CA 90029
Good for Babies and preschoolers who are blind or low vision
A nonprofit center with infant, toddler and preschool programs for children who are blind or visually impaired, licensed by the state Department of Social Services. Its classes are fully inclusive, with sighted children in every one, and it runs family support programs for parents.
- Infants through preschool
- Sighted classmates in every class
- Nonprofit, licensed by the state
- Family support for parents
blindchildrenscenter.org (opens their site)323-664-2153On Summerground
Young Learners Preschool
13164 Burbank Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91401
Good for Autistic preschoolers who need a full, structured day
The Help Group’s early intervention preschool for children with autism, from 2 years 9 months to 5. Classes run six hours a day, five days a week, with at least one teacher for every three children. Teaching mixes play with ABA methods such as Pivotal Response Training and picture-based communication, and the team includes special education teachers, speech and occupational therapists, psychologists and behavior specialists.
- Ages 2 years 9 months to 5
- 6 hours a day, 5 days a week
- 1:3 teacher-to-student ratio
- Certified by the state Dept. of Education
younglearnerspreschool.org (opens their site)877-943-5747On Summerground
Wiley Academy for Specialized Learning (WASL)
5761 Buckingham Pkwy, Culver City, CA 90230
Good for Preschoolers whose biggest need is language
A language-based therapeutic preschool for 3- to 5-year-olds with autism, speech and language delays or other developmental delays, run by LA Speech & Language Therapy Center. Every class is led by a licensed speech-language pathologist or one in their clinical fellowship year, with one adult for every two or three children. Children need to walk on their own and follow simple directions. Enrollment is rolling.
- Ages 3 to 5
- Classes led by speech-language pathologists
- 1:2 and 1:3 staff-to-child ratios
- Rolling enrollment
Momentum Academy Preschool ABA Program
Frogtown (Elysian Valley) · 2431 Eads St, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Good for Newly diagnosed autistic children, ages 2 to 6
Center-based ABA therapy set up like a preschool day, for children 2 to 6 who need communication, self-regulation, play and self-help skills before or alongside a classroom. Children learn one-on-one and in small groups, supervised by a doctorate-level BCBA. Because it’s therapy, your child’s hours depend on their assessment and insurance approval. Momentum takes most major insurance and Medi-Cal and is vendored by Lanterman Regional Center.
- Ages 2 to 6
- Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Most insurance and Medi-Cal
- Lanterman Regional Center vendor
The Nest LA Early Intervention Program
11425 Moorpark St, Studio City, CA 91602
Good for Toddlers with language delays who need a small group
A therapeutic morning program for children 18 months to 5 years with language delays, social communication challenges, sensory and regulation needs or limited play. Groups have at most 10 children and meet weekdays from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., 20 hours a week, in 12- to 14-week blocks all year. Speech and occupational therapy are built into play, snack and routines, with one-on-one help when it’s needed.
- Ages 18 months to 5
- 20 hours a week, weekday mornings
- Up to 10 children per group
- 12- to 14-week sessions
Therapy West TWISPP
Mar Vista and Gardena · 11460 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066
Good for Toddlers 18 to 36 months, with or without a diagnosis
A group early intervention program for toddlers 18 to 36 months, run with occupational, physical and speech therapists and mental health support. Each group mixes children at risk for delays, children with diagnoses such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or autism, and typically developing children. It meets weekdays from 9 to 11:45 a.m. at the Washington Blvd and Gardena locations, with at least one adult for every three children, and parents join training and support groups.
- Ages 18 to 36 months
- Weekdays 9 to 11:45 a.m.
- 3:1 child-to-staff ratio
- Typically developing peers included
therapywest.org (opens their site)310-337-7115On Summerground
CurtisCARE Infant Development Program
12114 Paramount Blvd, Downey, CA 90242
Good for Babies and toddlers in Early Start, English or Spanish
An Early Start provider for babies and toddlers up to 36 months with diagnosed delays or disabilities, vendored through South Central Los Angeles Regional Center. Children can come to the Downey center or get services at home, from a team of infant development specialists, speech and occupational therapists and behavior interventionists. It serves families in Downey, Compton, Carson and nearby, in English and Spanish.
- Birth to 36 months
- At the center or at home
- South Central LA Regional Center vendor
- English and Spanish
curtiscare.com (opens their site)562-869-0646On Summerground
Providence Saint John’s Therapeutic Preschool
Santa Monica
Good for Young children with behavior, trauma or attachment needs
A weekday day-treatment preschool at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center for children 2½ to 5 who need intensive help with behavioral, emotional or neurological challenges, such as ADHD, anxiety, trauma or prenatal substance exposure. Groups have no more than 10 children at a 5:1 ratio, and a team that can include psychiatrists, psychologists, family therapists and speech and occupational therapists plans each child’s care. The center lists Medi-Cal, private payment and a sliding scale.
- Ages 2½ to 5
- Up to 10 children, 5:1 ratio
- Medi-Cal, private pay, sliding scale
- Family therapy and parent groups
providence.org (opens their site)310-829-8921On Summerground
John Tracy Center Preschool
West Adams
Good for Deaf or hard of hearing kids learning spoken language
The Dickinson C. Ross Preschool takes children 3 to 5 who are deaf or hard of hearing alongside hearing children, with a focus on listening and spoken language. Teachers have master’s degrees and the state’s deaf and hard of hearing credential, and speech-language pathologists and auditory-verbal therapists work with them every day. JTC is a state-certified nonpublic school, so a school district can place a child here through the IEP under a contract with JTC.
- Ages 3 to 5
- Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing kids
- Small classes, low noise
- District placement through the IEP
Eden Care Center
4943 Slauson Ave, Maywood, CA 90270
Good for Medically fragile children who need a nurse all day
A licensed Pediatric Day Health Center: child care for medically fragile children, with licensed nurses on site who give G-tube feedings, medications, trach and ventilator care and seizure care as each child’s own doctor orders. Eden says Medi-Cal covers it for qualifying children, so most families pay nothing, and it will check your coverage before you commit. It also offers overnight care.
- Nurses on site 7 days a week
- Medi-Cal for qualifying children
- Overnight care available
- Trach, ventilator and G-tube care
CHIME Institute Preschool Inclusion Program
Northridge (CSUN)
Good for 3- and 4-year-olds with IEPs, in a regular class
CHIME places 3- and 4-year-olds who are eligible for special education in regular preschool classrooms at Cal State Northridge’s Child and Family Studies Center, a NAEYC-accredited center, with therapies built into everyday classroom activities and plenty of practice talking and playing with peers. CHIME is a state-certified nonpublic agency that contracts with LAUSD, so ask your IEP team about a placement here.
- Ages 3 to 4, eligible for special education
- Inclusive classes at CSUN
- Contracts with LAUSD
chimeinstitute.org (opens their site)818-677-2922On Summerground
Manhattan Beach Preschool
Manhattan Beach
Good for Manhattan Beach families who want full inclusion
Manhattan Beach Unified’s preschool is built around full inclusion, with special and general educators planning together. Options include a speech and language program, inclusion classrooms supported by a special education teacher, a deaf and hard of hearing program with a sign language aide, and SMILE, a more structured class for children who need extra help with social communication or self-regulation. After your child turns 3, you can request an assessment by calling the hotline at ext. 5924.
- Public district preschool
- Full inclusion model
- Deaf and hard of hearing program
- Assessment requests after age 3
Buffum Total Learning Center (Long Beach Unified)
Long Beach
Good for Long Beach families with a preschooler on an IEP
Long Beach Unified’s early childhood special education center, with 20 special education pre-K classes, the district’s preschool assessment center and 14 co-taught classes at schools around the district. Nurses, speech, occupational and physical therapists and behavior staff are on site, and children can move to a more or less restrictive setting as they progress. It also runs Early Start for babies and toddlers whose needs are hearing, vision or orthopedic, without broader delays.
- Public district preschool
- Preschool assessment center
- Co-taught classes across the district
- Early Start for hearing, vision, orthopedic
Before age 3: Early Start through your regional center
If your baby or toddler has a delay or a diagnosed condition, start with Early Start, California’s early intervention program, which the regional centers run in LA. Children from birth to 36 months can qualify with a delay of at least 25% in one or more areas, such as language, movement or social skills, or with a condition or combination of risk factors likely to cause delays (DDS: what is Early Start). Family income and immigration status don’t affect eligibility.
- Call the Early Start intake line for your area (below). Anyone can refer a child, including you, your pediatrician or your child care provider.
- The regional center assigns a service coordinator and evaluates your child. Evaluation, assessment and service coordination cost nothing.
- Within 45 days of your first call, you and the team write an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Services start as soon as possible, and no later than 45 days after you consent to them.
- Services happen at home or in other community settings. Your insurance may be billed for therapies like speech or occupational therapy, and the regional center pays for what insurance doesn’t cover.
Babies whose only needs are hearing, vision or orthopedic may get Early Start through their school district instead, as Long Beach’s Buffum center offers. Early Start intake lines in LA County, from DDS (not sure which is yours? see our guide to LA’s regional centers):
- Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center: 626-299-4777
- Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center: 213-252-8610
- Harbor Regional Center: 310-543-7927
- North Los Angeles County Regional Center: 818-778-1900
- San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center: 909-620-7722
- South Central Los Angeles Regional Center: 213-744-8807
- Westside Regional Center: 310-258-4096
From age 3: preschool special education and the IEP
Early Start ends at 3. If your child is in it, your service coordinator starts preparing at least six months ahead, and at least 90 days before the third birthday you hold a transition planning conference. The plan covers the steps to special education, whether your child still qualifies for the regional center, and community options such as Head Start (DDS Early Start packet).
From 3, special education comes through your school district (LAUSD covers most of the city of LA). If your child qualifies, you and the school team write an Individualized Education Program (IEP) with goals and a placement. That might be a special education preschool class, a co-taught or inclusion class like those at Manhattan Beach Preschool or Long Beach’s Buffum center, or a state-certified private program the district contracts with, such as the John Tracy Center or CHIME. What’s in the IEP costs you nothing. If your child wasn’t in Early Start, you can still ask your district for an assessment once your child turns 3.
Your child may keep regional center services too. Children under 5 without a diagnosis can qualify under provisional eligibility if their disability isn’t only physical and they have significant limitations in two areas of daily life, such as self-care, communication or mobility; the regional center reassesses before age 5 (DDS eligibility). Then your child has two plans: the IEP for school and an Individual Program Plan (IPP) with the regional center. If autism is a question, an autism evaluation can help with both.
Your child’s rights in regular daycare (the ADA)
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, almost every private child care provider has to follow the same rules, whatever its size, including small home-based daycares. The U.S. Justice Department’s guide for child care centers spells them out:
- A center can’t exclude your child because of a disability unless your child would pose a direct threat to others’ health or safety, or including your child would fundamentally change the program. It has to judge that by looking at your child, not a diagnosis.
- It can’t charge you extra for help the ADA requires.
- It generally has to make reasonable changes, which can include giving medication your child needs, doing simple blood sugar checks with written directions from you and your doctor, or diapering an older child if it already diapers babies.
- It doesn’t have to hire extra staff, give constant one-to-one supervision, or move your child ahead on a waiting list.
- Programs run by religious organizations aren’t covered by these rules, so ask them directly how they include children with disabilities.
If you think a center has broken the rules, the ADA Information Line (800-514-0301) answers questions, and you can file a complaint at ada.gov. To check a center’s license and inspection reports, start at the state’s Child Care Licensing pages.
How to choose a special needs daycare or preschool
Visit with your child if you can, and watch a real morning, not just the empty rooms. Questions worth asking:
- How many children are in a group, and how many adults? Programs on this list run from one adult for two children to one for five.
- Who is in the room: teachers trained in special education, speech or occupational therapists, a behavior specialist? Are therapies part of the day or done in a separate room?
- Will my child be with typically developing children, and for how much of the day?
- How do you handle meltdowns, biting or running off? What happens if it keeps happening?
- Can you help with toileting, feeding, medication or seizures, and who is trained to do it?
- How will you work with my child’s IFSP or IEP and with outside therapists?
- How will you tell me how the day went?
- What are the hours, fees and waitlist, and do you take regional center, Medi-Cal or insurance funding?
Trust what you see: children who are busy and engaged, adults down at their level, and a plan written for your child, not a generic one. If a program can’t tell you how it would support your child, that’s an answer too. If speech is the main concern, speech therapy alongside a regular preschool is another path.
Questions parents ask
Can a daycare refuse to take a child with special needs?
Usually not. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, private child care centers, including small home daycares, can’t exclude a child because of a disability. A center can say no only if your child would pose a direct threat to others’ safety or would need a fundamental change to the program, and it has to judge that for your child, not by diagnosis. It doesn’t have to hire a one-to-one aide, and programs run by religious organizations aren’t covered. The Justice Department’s child care guide has the details.
Is there free special needs preschool in Los Angeles?
Yes. From age 3, your school district provides preschool special education through an IEP, and what’s in the IEP costs you nothing, whether it’s a district class or a private program the district contracts with. Before 3, Early Start evaluations and service coordination are free, and the regional center pays for services your insurance doesn’t cover. Some private programs take Medi-Cal, including Eden Care Center for medically fragile children, the Providence Saint John’s therapeutic preschool and Momentum Academy’s ABA program.
Where can I find daycare for a child with autism near me?
In LA, autism-focused options include Young Learners Preschool in Sherman Oaks, WASL in Culver City and Momentum Academy’s preschool-style ABA program in Frogtown, plus toddler groups at The Nest in Studio City and Therapy West in Mar Vista and Gardena. Regular child care centers have to consider your child too, under the ADA. Under 3, call your regional center’s Early Start line; from 3, ask your school district about preschool special education. For therapy at home instead, see our in-home ABA guide.
What’s the difference between an inclusive preschool and a special needs preschool?
An inclusive preschool puts children with disabilities in the same classroom as typically developing children, with extra support built in: Carousel School, CHIME at Cal State Northridge and Manhattan Beach Preschool work this way. A special needs preschool serves only children with disabilities in smaller, more structured classes, like Young Learners for autistic children. Therapeutic preschools, such as WASL and Providence Saint John’s, build therapy into the whole day. Some district programs, like Long Beach’s Buffum center, let children move between settings as they progress.
Will the regional center pay for daycare?
Sometimes, in part. Regional centers pay for the services in your child’s plan, and Harbor Regional Center, for one, lists ‘childcare assistance’ among its services for young and school-age children. Ask your service coordinator what yours offers. Regional centers also fund respite, which gives you a break from caregiving, and before age 3, Early Start services can come from vendored programs such as CurtisCARE in Downey. Find your center in our regional centers guide.
When can my child start a special needs preschool?
Public preschool special education starts at 3, through your school district and an IEP; if your child is in Early Start, planning begins at least 90 days before the third birthday. Some programs start younger: Young Learners at 2 years 9 months, Providence Saint John’s at 2½, Momentum Academy at 2, The Nest and Therapy West at 18 months, and Carousel School and CurtisCARE from birth, as part of Early Start.
How we made this list
We searched the web for inclusive, autism-focused and therapeutic preschools and child care across Los Angeles County, then read each program’s own pages in October 2026. We kept programs that say they serve children with disabilities or delays, and left out directories, news stories, programs only for older children and centers that don’t say how they include kids with special needs. The rules on Early Start, the IEP and the ADA come from the state Department of Developmental Services, the regional centers and the U.S. Justice Department.
No one paid to be on it. It’s information to start from, not medical or legal advice: check services, costs and coverage with each provider before you book. Spotted something out of date, or run a place that belongs here? Write to hello@summerground.com.
Sources
- What is Early Start? (California Department of Developmental Services)
- Early Start Information Packet (DDS)
- Regional center Early Start intake lines (DDS)
- Eligibility for regional center services, including provisional eligibility (DDS)
- Commonly asked questions about child care centers and the ADA (U.S. Department of Justice)
- Child Care Licensing (California Department of Social Services)
- Services we provide (Harbor Regional Center)