The Arc of Placer County was established in 1958 by a group of parents joining together in a resolute voice to advocate for the educational rights of their children with special needs. As a result of their advocacy, the county office of education opened its first classroom for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 1959.
By 1963, The Arc of Placer County was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, then known as the Association for Retarded Children. With an eye on the coming years when their children would leave public school, the parents opened a thrift store to raise funds for future programs and services. And in 1964, enough funds were raised to open the doors of our first program, a sheltered workshop, in the basement of a church in Auburn. Even today, many of the children, now adults, of those resolute parents are still served by the agency's programs.
To remove what had become a derogatory word from its name due to the evolution of language, the agency changed its name to Advocacy, Resources, & Choices. Years later the agency abbreviated the name to Placer ARC and recently has become a fully aligned chapter of The Arc of the United States, thus becoming The Arc of Placer County. Throughout the decades we have proudly served our clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities ensuring we significantly contribute to the quality of their lives.