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.
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.
AnaMom of a 2-year-oldIt's definitely one of my favorite apps right now for my little one.
ShannonMom of three autistic sonsIt's just really been a joy to see how much fun he has using the app.
LezlieMom of a toddlerHe looks forward to it every day because we get to take a fun picture.
MikeDad of a toddlerGail responds really well to seeing kids his age or a little bit older doing things that he's doing.
ChristinaMom of EdenWe aren't completely there, but we're closer than we ever have been.
LindsayMom of a 2-year-oldThey agreed that we could be doing some more practice at home.
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 picnic tables. 16953 Ventura Boulevard, Encino, CA 91316.
Name something your child notices with a short phrase, such as “big tree.” Pause for their response.
A nearby Los Angeles Public Library branch, just west of Encino in Tarzana. 18231 Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana, CA 91356.
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.
Encino families can ask for a free speech evaluation and keep talking and playing at home while they wait. Encino Park on Ventura Boulevard and the Encino–Tarzana library just west in Tarzana are easy places to start.
For a baby or toddler under 3, call your regional center and ask for an Early Start evaluation. Early Start is California’s program for children up to 36 months, and the evaluation is free. Los Angeles has several regional centers, and the state lookup shows yours by address. You don’t need a doctor’s note to call.
If your child is 3 or older, write to Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD), which serves most Encino homes. Ask for a free speech and language evaluation. The district must send you a plan for the evaluation within 15 days.
Encino Park has a children’s play area and picnic tables. Try an “I see” game on the way in. Say “I see a bird” or “I see a swing,” then point and wait. Let your child take a turn, even if it’s just a point or a sound. Copy what they say and add one word, so “bird” becomes “bird flying.”
The library is a short drive west, at 18231 Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana. Hold up two picture books and ask, “This one or that one?” Wait for your child to point or reach. Read the one they chose and let them turn the pages. Name one thing on each page, then pause. At home, read the same book again before bed.
We last checked these details in October 2026.
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