For parents in Palmdale
Is your child talking less than other kids their age?
For a child under 3, call North Los Angeles County Regional Center’s Antelope Valley office in Lancaster, (661) 945-6761. From age 3, your home address decides the school district, and Palmdale School District runs First Steps preschool.
Is my child on track?
If something on this list worries you, you don’t need to wait and see. You can ask for a free evaluation right away.
Free and paid help in Palmdale
An evaluation is a check of how your child talks and understands words. It usually happens through play, often with a speech therapist.
North Los Angeles County Regional Center serves the Antelope Valley from an office in Lancaster. Call (661) 945-6761 for a free evaluation. You don’t need a doctor’s note. Your regional center depends on your ZIP code.
Visit NLACRC’s websiteFirst Steps Special Education Preschool is at 1330 West Elizabeth Lake Road and serves Palmdale School District. Call 661-274-0849 to request an assessment. The office reviews your address and your child’s age, then mails a registration packet. Bring a birth certificate, immunization record and a current utility bill. School evaluations are free. Parts of Palmdale are in Westside Union, (661) 722-0716, Eastside Union, (661) 952-1200, or Keppel Union, 661-944-2155. Others are in Lancaster, 661-948-4661, or Acton-Agua Dulce, (661) 269-0750. Each of those numbers is a district main line, so ask the operator for special education. Your home address decides.
Visit First Steps’ pageSLEA’s Antelope Valley office is at 190 Sierra Court, Suite A8. It offers speech and language therapy for children. Call (818) 788-1003 to ask about speech therapy openings.
Visit SLEA’s websiteThese services are run independently of Speech Blubs.
Speech Blubs at home
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.
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.
MimiMomIt has so many different resources to help your child with their first words up to learning how to build sentences.
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.
NoelleMom, sister of a speech therapistMy sister is an SLP, and she actually told us to download this app for my kid.
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.
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.
If your child sees a therapist, ask which activities fit.
Everyday ideas
A walk, a book or a snack gives you something to talk about. Follow what your child is looking at.
01 / Courtney’s Playground at Marie Kerr Park
City option
A fully inclusive playground at 39700 30th Street West, with ramps, a rocking raft and musical instruments.
Tap a musical instrument and say “tap.” Play it loud, then soft. Wait for your child to copy you.
02 / Palmdale City Library
City option
The library at 700 East Palmdale Boulevard runs Family Storytime and Little Learners for ages 0 to 5.
Hold up a book with flaps. Say “open” and lift one together, then wait for your child to say what is underneath.
03 / The app
Show two familiar toys or foods and name them. Give your child time to respond with a look, a gesture, a sound or a word.
Opening hours change, so check the website before you go.
The evaluation is free through North Los Angeles County Regional Center (under 3) and your school district (from age 3). School speech services are free if your child qualifies. Early Start is California’s early intervention program for babies and toddlers up to 36 months. Its therapy may be billed to Medi-Cal or your insurance first.
Clinic fees vary, so ask about the price when you call. SLEA says it is in network for most patients. Medi-Cal covers medically necessary speech therapy for children. With private insurance, call the number on your card.
Not for Early Start or your school district. You can contact them yourself. A clinic, Medi-Cal or your insurance plan may need a referral from your child’s doctor.
Finding out whether your child qualifies for Early Start can take up to 45 days. In Palmdale School District, First Steps assesses your child within 60 days of your signed forms. While you wait, talk, read and play together every day, and try short Speech Blubs activities at home.
Many 2-year-olds put two words together, like “more milk.” If your child doesn’t yet, it’s a good time to call the Antelope Valley office of the regional center. The evaluation is free, and you don’t need to wait and see.
No. Speech Blubs gives you short activities to practice together at home. A speech therapist evaluates your child and plans the therapy. If your child sees a therapist, ask which activities fit.
Speech Blubs is available in English (US and UK) and Spanish, plus 11 more languages. These include German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Swedish, Polish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Romanian. You can switch the language in the app menu.
Life with little ones in Palmdale
Palmdale School District runs First Steps, a special education preschool office on West Elizabeth Lake Road. The district also describes early intervention services through its infant and toddler programs. Westside Union, Eastside Union, Keppel Union, Lancaster and Acton-Agua Dulce districts cover other parts of the city.
To start, call 661-274-0849. After registration, the office sets a consent appointment. Your child is assessed within 60 days of the signed forms, and a parent attends. The team usually includes a speech and language pathologist.
Ask the school office at 661-274-0849 whether your child can ride the special education bus. First Steps runs a morning and an afternoon session.
North Los Angeles County Regional Center handles Antelope Valley families from its Lancaster office at 43850 10th Street West.
It serves Palmdale ZIP codes 93550 and 93551, so call and give your ZIP code.
Ask the center about transition workshops in the Antelope Valley if your child is nearing age 3.
SLEA Therapies has a Palmdale office on Sierra Court. Ask to be told when a speech spot opens.
While you wait, try Courtney’s Playground at Marie Kerr Park. It has ramps, a rocking raft and musical instruments to name together. Little Learners at the Palmdale City Library is for ages 0 to 5. At each, name what your child sees and wait a few seconds.
The library’s phone is 661-267-5600. Its calendar lists Little Learners on the first and third Tuesday of the month, with Bilingual Storytime on Thursdays.
We last checked these details in November 2026.
