Specialized Home Care happens at home. A caregiver works one-on-one with your child on everyday things like routines, communication, and emotional regulation, all in a familiar, comfortable setting. At the end of each session, you'll get a quick recap of how it went.

Community-Based Support takes that same support out into the world — think outings, playdates, family events, or appointments. A caregiver goes along to help your child navigate new places, transitions, and social situations with confidence. We handle getting there too, since transportation is part of the visit.

Both are led by caregivers with real experience in behavior support, so your child gets the same familiar, skilled care whether they're at home or out and about.

Yes. Each family is authorized for a set number of hours per month, and you choose how those hours are split between Specialized Home Care and Community-Based Support — for example, 60% home and 40% community. If your child's needs change, that split can be adjusted along the way so your care stays flexible as things evolve.

We serve the following cities: San Jose, Campbell, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Los Gatos, Almaden, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Los Altos, and Palo Alto. We're growing, and plan to continue expanding our service area, so reach out even if you're just outside these cities, we're happy to see what we can do.

Steady Path supports individuals with a wide range of developmental, intellectual, and behavioral support needs, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder, adhd, down syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Rather than focusing on a specific diagnosis, we determine support through an individualized assessment of the person's day-to-day needs across areas like communication, safety awareness, self-regulation, and independence. This helps us match the right level and type of support to each child, regardless of diagnosis.

Steady Path is designed to work alongside your child's existing care team, not replace it. Many of the families we support have ABA, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and other services already in place, and our goal is to reinforce that progress rather than duplicate or compete with it.

Our caregivers bring a strong background in behavior support and special education, so they're able to carry over strategies your child is already working on — communication systems, regulation techniques, visual schedules, and more — into everyday routines at home and in the community. We're not a clinical or therapeutic provider, and we don't conduct formal data collection or ABA therapy ourselves. Instead, think of Steady Path as the extra layer of consistent, skilled support that helps what happens in therapy translate into daily life.

If it would be helpful, we're happy to coordinate lightly with your existing providers so everyone stays aligned — though this is entirely at the family's discretion.

Yes. For families whose child's school doesn't provide its own aide, Steady Path can provide support at school. This falls under Community-Based Support, and we already have established relationships with a number of local schools.

If your child's school requires an aide, reach out to us directly so we can talk through your school's specific requirements and how support would be structured.

Services are available six days a week, including evenings, weekends, school breaks, and most holidays.

Monday–Thursday: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday–Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM

If you need something outside these windows, reach out — we're happy to see what we can work out.

Yes. A session doesn't have to be all one type or all one place. For example, a caregiver might start with home-based support and then head out into the community, or an outing might include several stops along the way, like a trip to the library followed by a park visit. Your caregiver will structure the session around what makes sense for your child's goals and the day's plans, and time is tracked accordingly across home and community support.

Your service agreement authorizes a set number of hours each month, and that's what your monthly bill is based on. To actually get those hours on the calendar, we build your schedule out week by week — factoring in how many hours you have left for the month, your family's availability, and caregiver availability.

This gives you the predictability of a monthly plan with the flexibility to adjust week to week as life happens, rather than locking in a rigid schedule three or four weeks in advance.

We know life gets busy, so we build in flexibility throughout the month to help you use the hours you're authorized for. If you're not sure how to fit them all in, just let us know. We're happy to help you find times that work, whether that's an extra home session or a fun outing in the community.

Because your monthly rate is based on your full authorized hours, unused hours don't roll over or get refunded. Think of it less as "use it or lose it" and more as a nudge to make the most of the support you're already paying for. Most families find that once they get into a rhythm, using the full amount becomes second nature.

If you go over your authorized hours in a given month, no problem. The extra time is simply added to your next monthly bill. And if you're wrapping up services altogether, any additional hours used are included in your final bill.

Every Steady Path provider brings real, hands-on experience working with autism, developmental disabilities, and other neurodivergent profiles, along with a background in behavior support strategies, sensory needs, communication differences, and visual schedules. Many of our providers have current or previous Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification.

Before working with a family, every provider completes a full training and onboarding program covering:

• Behavior support strategies and de-escalation techniques
• Client privacy and confidentiality
• Community safety, transportation, and elopement prevention
• Infection control
• Mandated reporting under California's Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA)
• Client rights, dignity, and choice
• Emergency procedures and first aid response

All providers also pass a background check, complete a TB test, hold current CPR/First Aid certification, and register as a Home Care Aide with the California Department of Social Services, in line with state licensing requirements.

Consistency matters a lot for our clients, so every child is paired with a small, dedicated team, typically two providers, rather than a rotating roster of staff. This ensures your child always has a familiar, trusted face for care, even if one provider is unavailable.

As Steady Path launches, our founders, Tessa and Maria, will serve as the two primary providers for all clients. As we grow, this same model of two consistent, dedicated providers per child will continue.

After each session, providers share a debrief with parents, your care coordination company, and other providers involved in your child's care to ensure everyone stays informed and aligned.

Pricing is based on three things: your child's monthly authorized hours, the setting where care takes place (home vs. community), and their individual needs and abilities.

Because community-based hours include additional coordination like transportation, they're billed at a higher rate than in-home hours. Every family's monthly rate reflects their unique mix of hours, setting split, and support level, so pricing is tailored to your child's actual needs rather than a flat, one-size-fits-all rate.

Billing is monthly, based on your child's authorized hours and support level for that cycle. Your bill is generated on your contract start date each month, the same date your service agreement began, so your billing cycle stays consistent from month to month. While your caregiving schedule is built out week by week, your invoice reflects the full monthly cycle at once for one predictable charge.

In many cases, yes. Families can include our services in their SDP spending plan. We recommend discussing this with your service coordinator and Financial Management Service (FMS) provider to confirm eligibility and ensure it is documented in your IPP.

The initial session will focus on provider pairing and getting to know your child while a parent or guardian is present. The goal is to build rapport between the provider and the family, as well as learn the child's interests and sensitivities.

Contact your regional center service coordinator and express your interest in SDP. You'll then attend a required orientation, complete person-centered planning, receive your individualized budget, and select an FMS provider. Register at scdd.ca.gov/sdp-orientation.