The regional center is responsible for determining whether a child is eligible for the Prevention Program. To qualify, a child must be under 36 months of age, and a qualified clinician must determine that he or she has specific risk factors for developmental disability. The State of California has mandated that RCOC use the following detailed guide when determining eligibility.

An infant or toddler is eligible for the Prevention Program when the regional center determines that an infant or toddler has:

1.  A combination of two or more of the following factors:

a.  Prematurity of less than 32 weeks gestation and/or low birth weight of less than 1500 grams.

b.  Assisted ventilation for 48 hours or longer during the first 28 days of life.

c.  Small for gestational age: below the third percentile on the National Center for Health Statistics growth charts.

d.  Asphyxia Neonatorum associated with a five minute Apgar score of 0 to 5.

e.  Severe and persistent metabolic abnormality, including but not limited to hypoglycemia, acidemia and hyperbilirubinemia in excess of the usual exchange transfusion level.

f.  Neonatal seizures or nonfebrile seizures during the first three years of life.

g.  Central nervous system lesion or abnormality.

h.  Central nervous system infection.

i.  Biomedical insult including, but not limited to injury, accident or illness which may seriously or permanently affect developmental outcome.

j.  Multiple congenital anomalies or genetic disorders which may affect developmental outcome.

k.  Prenatal exposure to known teratogens.

l.  Prenatal substance exposure, positive infant neonatal toxicology screen or symptomatic neonatal toxicity or withdrawal.

m.  Clinically significant failure to thrive, including, but not limited to weight persistently below the third percentile for age on standard growth charts or less than 85 percent of the ideal weight for age and/or acute loss or failure to gain weight with the loss of two or more major percentiles on the growth curve.

n.  Persistent hypotonia or hypertonia, beyond that otherwise associated with a known diagnostic condition.

2.  High risk for a developmental disability also exists when the regional center determines that the parent of the infant or toddler is a person with a developmental disability.

3.  A toddler is also eligible for the prevention program when the regional center determines that a toddler between the ages of 24-35 months has a developmental delay in one domain of 33 percent through 49 percent. The developmental domains a regional center must consider are communication, cognitive, social/emotional, self-help/adaptive and physical.