Plato+ at no cost to your family, if your student qualifies
A few programs can pay for coaching and tutoring, sometimes all of it. Here's what actually works for Peninsula families right now, who it's for, and what we do to help.
See if you might qualify
Two quick questions. Nothing to fill in.
Does your student have an IEP?
Has the district agreed to pay for outside help, or is an advocate or attorney working on it?
Does your student have a Regional Center case?
Are you in the Self-Determination Program?
Rather text? Send "IEP" or "Regional Center" to (650) 556-5995 and we'll tell you.
If your student has an IEP
The district pays when it owes services.
If the district hasn't delivered what the IEP promised, you can ask for make-up services, often called compensatory education. Most cases settle without a hearing. Some agreements reimburse you after you pay, others pay the provider directly. Many let you choose the provider, though some require a certified agency, which Plato+ isn't yet.
In California you generally have two years to raise a claim, so talk to an advocate or attorney soon. We write the plan around the IEP goals, send an itemized statement for every session, and give you progress notes the team can use.
If your student has a Regional Center case
A Self-Determination budget can pay for coaching.
In the Self-Determination Program your family gets a yearly budget and picks its own providers, who don't have to be vendored. Coaching fits when the plan names a skill like planning, daily routines, speaking up for themselves or getting ready for college, and the team agrees the school isn't the one responsible for it. Subject tutoring usually stays with the school.
Your budget starts from what the regional center spent on your student last year, and the team can raise it for a need the plan didn't cover. Getting started often takes a few months. San Mateo County families are with Golden Gate Regional Center, and Santa Clara County families are with San Andreas. We'll help you describe the coaching the way your planning team needs and invoice your financial management service.
Not sure which one fits, or whether you qualify? Tell us on the free assessment. If it isn't worth asking for, we'll say so.
If you homeschool through a charter
Independent study charters give each student instructional funds, often a few thousand dollars a year, that can pay approved vendors. Ask your teacher to request Plato+ as a vendor and we'll complete the charter's application.
If your employer offers a family stipend
Some Bay Area employers have lifestyle or caregiving stipends that reimburse tutoring for your kids. Check your plan's categories with HR. We'll give you itemized receipts.
How it works
- Free assessment. Tell us about your student and which program you're in. We'll say honestly whether coaching fits the goals in the plan.
- The paperwork. We write the plan the way your IEP or IPP team needs it, and invoice the way your district, financial management service or charter requires.
- Weekly coaching. The same educator every week, in your home or online, with progress notes you can hand to the team.
What to know before you ask
The district, the regional center or the charter decides, not us. Regional centers have turned down coaching requests, for reasons like the plan not showing a new need or the coach working from out of state. Coaching also can't replace what the school is required to provide.
Plato+ isn't a certified nonpublic agency or a vendored regional center provider yet. So today the routes that work are settlements that let you choose your provider, a Self-Determination budget, charter funds and employer stipends.
None of this is legal advice. A special education advocate or attorney can usually tell you in one phone call.
Clinicians and advocates: how we work with you →
Ready to talk?
No commitment, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about what would help your student.