CAHELP JPA

What CAHELP JPA does

CAHELP JPA (California Association of Health and Education Linked Professions) is a Joint Powers Authority established under California law and headquartered in Apple Valley, California, that delivers coordinated special education, mental health, and career readiness services to member school districts and charter schools in the high desert region of San Bernardino County. The organization operates three core programs: Desert Mountain SELPA (DMSELPA) serving 20,198 students, Desert Mountain Charter SELPA (DMCS) serving 1,457 students, and the Desert Mountain Children's Center (DMCC) serving 31,094 individuals through 7,116 mental and behavioral health referrals in 2024-2025. Across these programs, CAHELP provides IEP support and compliance monitoring under IDEA, occupational and physical therapy, speech and language services, assistive technology, autism supports (including SAIT and PEERS), dispute resolution (ADR, due process, complaints), prevention and intervention frameworks (MTSS, PBIS), and a California PBIS Technical Assistance Center designated for Region 10.

The technology stack underpinning service delivery includes the Special Education Information System (SEIS) for real-time IEP management, Netsmart for behavioral health tracking, Canvas LMS for self-paced professional learning, CALPADS for state longitudinal data reporting, Adobe Acrobat Sign for electronic enrollment forms, and an Organizational Management System (OMS) for training registration. An AlwaysOn third-party accessibility chatbot with multilingual support is deployed on the website. Program specialists and outreach specialists are assigned to specific LEAs to deliver on-site professional learning, IEP facilitation, and family engagement.

CAHELP's business model is government-funded rather than commercial. Revenue flows from AB602 California special education allocations based on ADA, federal IDEA grants, CalWORKS, WIOA, and Department of Rehabilitation partnerships, supplemented by fee-for-service arrangements for select therapies (physical therapy, occupational therapy). The organization does not disclose pricing publicly because services are funded through member district contributions and public allocations. San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) serves as the Authorizing Unit (AU) and parent governance body, with policy oversight conducted through a Governance Council representing member LEAs. Strategic partners include SBCSS, the California Department of Education, the Department of Rehabilitation, the Workforce Development Department, and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital.

Name

CAHELP JPA

Legal name

California Association of Health and Education Linked Professions

Website

https://cahelp.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CAHELP JPA is a California Joint Powers Authority based in Apple Valley that delivers special education, mental health, and career readiness services to member school districts and charter schools across the San Bernardino County high desert region through its SELPA, Charter SELPA, and Children's Center programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Apple Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Special Education Funding (AB602): State special education funds allocated to local educational agencies through AB602 California law, based on student needs and ADA (average daily attendance).
2. Federal IDEA Grants: Federal grants from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act used to support special education programs and services.
3. Fee for Service Model: Payment model where districts pay for specific special education services used, such as physical therapy or occupational therapy.
4. Workforce Development Programs: Career Readiness & Employment Services funded through CalWORKS, WIOA, and Department of Rehabilitation partnerships for transition and employment services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CAHELP JPA is a public Joint Powers Authority that delivers special education administrative and support services to member school districts (LEAs) and charter schools in the high desert region of San Bernardino County, California. It operates three primary programs — DMSELPA (Desert/Mountain Special Education Local Plan Area), DMCS (Desert/Mountain Charter SELPA), and DMCC (Desert/Mountain Community College) — collectively serving approximately 20,198 DMSELPA students, 1,457 Charter SELPA students, and 31,094 DMCC individuals via pooled regional funding.

Product overview

CAHELP JPA is a joint powers authority operating three primary programs: Desert Mountain SELPA (DMSELPA), Desert Mountain Charter SELPA (DMCS), and Desert Mountain Children's Center (DMCC). The organization provides a comprehensive suite of special education support services including Business Services, Career Readiness & Employment Services (with sub-programs CSEP, CYEP, TPP, WAI, WIOA), Compliance & Systems Monitoring, Course Offerings via Canvas eLearning, Dispute Resolution (ADR, Due Process, Complaints), Mental Health & Behavior Counseling, Occupational & Physical Therapy, Prevention & Intervention (MTSS, PBIS, Culture & Climate), Regional Services (Autism including SAIT and PEERS, Assistive Technology, Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Early Childhood, Speech & Language, Secondary Education), and Family & Community Engagement. The organization also operates the California PBIS Technical Assistance Center for Region 10 and provides SEIS for IEP management. Core programs serve approximately 20,198 DMSELPA students, 1,457 Charter SELPA students, and 31,094 DMCC individuals annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Desert Mountain SELPA (DMSELPA): Special Education Local Plan Area providing special education programs and services to member school districts
• Desert Mountain Charter SELPA (DMCS)
• Desert Mountain Children's Center (DMCC)
• CAHELP SEIS Online Learning Center

Products and services

• DMSELPA (Desert/Mountain Special Education Local Plan Area) Regional special education local plan area program that provides administrative oversight, funding allocation, and specialized services for students with IEPs across member public school districts in the high desert region of San Bernardino County, California.
• DMCS (Desert/Mountain Charter SELPA) Charter-focused SELPA membership and special education administrative support program that allows charter schools to meet California statutory requirements for SELPA participation and to receive AB602 special education funding.
• DMCC (Desert/Mountain Community College) Community college and adult transition program that supports individuals served by the regional special education system as they move into post-secondary and adult services, coordinated through community college partnerships in the high desert region.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 20,198 students in DMSELPA, 1,457 in Charter SELPA, and 31,094 individuals through DMCC in 2024-2025

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBCSS serves as the Authorizing Unit (AU) for CAHELP JPA. The organization manages fiscal and MIS services for member school districts including LEA charter schools and SBCSS, which is the administrative governing body for the JPA.
• Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Transition Partnership Program (TPP) is a collaborative program between CAHELP and the Department of Rehabilitation that assists eligible students ages 16-21 in transitioning from high school to meaningful employment and post-secondary education.
• California Department of Education (CDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDE provides oversight and funding guidance for special education programs. CAHELP implements CDE requirements for IEP implementation monitoring, state performance plans, and annual performance reports under IDEA.
• Loma Linda University Children's HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Amy Young, Chief of Forensic Pediatrics at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, collaborates on the Fostering Futures Podcast to provide understanding of childhood trauma, abuse, and healing.
• Workforce Development Department (WDD)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWDD provides CalWORKS Subsidized Employment Program referrals for adult employment services and coordinates with CYEP providers for youth employment programs in San Bernardino County.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Riverside County SELPA (Riverside County Office of Education): A neighboring California SELPA housed within Riverside County Office of Education, serving a similarly inland-empire geography with comparable special education oversight, mental health, and workforce programs to CAHELP JPA.
• East Side SELPA: A mid-sized California SELPA covering the East Side of Santa Clara County with a multi-program structure analogous to CAHELP — providing compliance monitoring, regional services, and special education support to member LEAs.
• LAUSD Division of Special Education: Los Angeles Unified School District operates the largest SELPA in California with a full suite of special education, mental health, and transition services, providing an upper-bound comparable for SELPA operating scale and service breadth.
• Kern County SELPA (Kern County Office of Education): A California SELPA operating through Kern County Office of Education that delivers comparable special education local plan services to member districts in the Central Valley, with similar rural-mix demographics to CAHELP's high desert region.
• East Valley SELPA: Another California SELPA operating under California Education Code with analogous compliance monitoring, regional service, and member-district support functions to CAHELP.
• Lake County SELPA (Lake County Office of Education): A smaller California SELPA operating under the same Education Code framework as CAHELP, offering a comparable regional-services and compliance-monitoring structure at smaller scale.
• Plumas County SELPA (Plumas County Office of Education): A rural California SELPA with comparable small-population service model and IDEA-compliance/regional-services portfolio to CAHELP.

Broad incumbents

• San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS): SBCSS serves as the Authorizing Unit (AU) for CAHELP JPA and provides broader county-wide education oversight, fiscal administration, and student services across non-JPA domains — a parent-administrative peer that operates at a larger scope.
• California Department of Education (CDE): State-level education authority that funds, oversees, and sets policy for all California SELPAs including CAHELP — provides overarching administrative and regulatory context for the SELPA business model.

Others

• California Association of SELPAs (CASPA): Industry association representing California SELPAs and providing convening, advocacy, and policy support — adjacent to CAHELP as a coordinating body for the SELPA ecosystem in which CAHELP operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cahelp_jpa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP3t1plsMbz8yMXd8w4nWxw
• Facebookfacebook.com/jpa.cahelp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cahelp
• Instagraminstagram.com/cahelp_jpa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAHELP JPA