Is your child talking less than other kids their age?
In Los Angeles, you can get a free speech evaluation. Early Start helps if your child is under 3, and your public school district helps from age 3. Below you’ll find who to call, what happens next and simple ways to practice at home while you wait.
If something on this list worries you, you don’t need to wait and see. You can ask for a free evaluation right away.
An evaluation is a check of how your child talks and understands words. It usually happens through play, often with a speech therapist.
Early Start is California’s early intervention program for babies and toddlers up to 36 months. Los Angeles has several regional centers, so look up the one for your address and call it.
If you live in LAUSD, the district evaluates children from age 3, even before kindergarten. Ask its preschool team for a speech and language evaluation.
CHLA’s speech-language team evaluates and treats children’s speech and language. Contact CHLA to book a first evaluation.
These services are run independently of Speech Blubs.
Watch and respond together.Getting an appointment can take time. Speech Blubs gives you short activities to do together: your child watches other kids say words and make sounds, then tries too.
Pick a topic your child loves, like animals or snacks.
Watch together and pause. Give your child time to look, point or say a word.
Use the word later, at snack time or in a book.
MimiMomIt has so many different resources to help your child with their first words up to learning how to build sentences.
AnaMom of a 2-year-oldIt's definitely one of my favorite apps right now for my little one.
NoelleMom, sister of a speech therapistMy sister is an SLP, and she actually told us to download this app for my kid.
KaterinaMom and educatorI started looking for something that was research-backed and supported by professionals.
LezlieMom of a toddlerHe looks forward to it every day because we get to take a fun picture.
ShannonMom of three autistic sonsIt's just really been a joy to see how much fun he has using the app.
MikeDad of a toddlerGail responds really well to seeing kids his age or a little bit older doing things that he's doing.
LindsayMom of a 2-year-oldThey agreed that we could be doing some more practice at home.
ChristinaMom of EdenWe aren't completely there, but we're closer than we ever have been.
Father of a 23-month-oldWhen I tell her it's time to play her game, she runs and gets up on the couch to play.
If your child sees a therapist, ask which activities fit.
The app content is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Swedish, Polish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Romanian. You can switch the language in the app menu. Read the language FAQ.
Use a walk, a book, or a snack as a reason to talk together. Follow what interests your child.
A neighborhood park with a children’s play area and benches, next to outdoor courts. 3900 West Chevy Chase Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90039.
Name something your child notices with a short phrase, such as “big tree.” Pause for their response.
Atwater Village’s Los Angeles Public Library branch. Borrow a picture book about the park before you go. 3379 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90039.
Choose a picture your child likes and talk about it together. Connect it to a toy at home.
Offer two familiar toys or foods and name each one. Give your child time to respond. Follow a look, gesture, sound, or word.
Opening hours change, so check the website before you go.
Short answers about free help, costs and the app.
The evaluation is free: through Early Start under age 3, or through your public school district from age 3. School speech services are free if your child qualifies. Early Start therapy may be billed to Medi-Cal or your health insurance. Find free help.
Medi-Cal covers medically necessary speech therapy for children. Private plans differ, so call the number on your insurance card and ask about pediatric speech therapy. Find free help.
Not for Early Start or the school district: you can contact them yourself. Medi-Cal and many insurance plans may ask for a referral from your child’s doctor. Find free help.
Many 2-year-olds put two words together, like “more milk.” If your child doesn’t yet, it’s a good time to ask Early Start for a free evaluation. You don’t need to wait and see. Find free help.
No. It gives you short activities to practice together at home. A speech therapist evaluates your child and plans the therapy. See how the app works.
Speech Blubs is available in English and Spanish, plus 11 more languages. You can switch the language in the app menu. See how the app works.
Speech Blubs is a subscription. You’ll see the current price and any trial in the quiz before you pay. Choose your child’s age.
Start with the quiz to learn about the app for your child.
In Atwater Village, help with your child’s speech can start with one call or one short letter. North Atwater Park and the library on Glendale Boulevard are close by for talking and playing together.
Babies and toddlers up to 36 months can get help through Early Start, California’s early intervention program. Call your regional center to ask for a free evaluation. Los Angeles has several regional centers, and yours depends on your address. You can call yourself, without a doctor’s note.
From age 3, write to Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD), which serves most Atwater Village homes. School speech services are free if your child qualifies. For a hospital option, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has a speech therapy team. Ask about a doctor’s referral and insurance before you book.
North Atwater Park on Chevy Chase Drive has a children’s play area and benches. Bring a bottle of bubbles. Blow a few, then stop and wait. Your child may say “more,” reach or look at you. Blow more and say “more bubbles.” Let them pop a few and say “pop” together.
The library is at 3379 Glendale Boulevard. Before a park trip, borrow a book about a park, a picnic or animals outside. Read it together and name one picture you might see later, like a dog or a tree. At the park, point and say, “Look, a dog, like in our book.” Your child hears the same word in two places.
We last checked these details in October 2026.
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