Executive Function Coach San Carlos, CA
The Ladder Method coaches San Carlos students and adults in executive functioning: the organization, time management and planning skills that get work started and finished. San Carlos families meet their coach by video, and the first step is a complimentary consultation.
Our programs start in 5th grade and run through university, with separate coaching for adults. Candice Lapin founded The Ladder Method in Los Angeles in 2008, and we offer virtual coaching worldwide alongside in-home coaching in LA.
San Carlos Students Change Schools 3 Times by 9th Grade
In the San Carlos School District, students start at a TK-3 elementary school, move to a 4-5 upper elementary school, then to a 6-8 middle school. For high school, they leave the district: Carlmont High School in Belmont, part of the Sequoia Union High School District, draws students from San Carlos. Each switch brings new teachers and new systems a student has to manage alone. Our programs cover every stage from 5th grade on.
Grades TK-3: Arundel, Brittan Acres, Heather or White Oaks Elementary.
Grades 4-5: Arroyo or Mariposa Upper Elementary. Our elementary and middle school program starts in 5th grade and works on organization, time management and prioritization, planning and self-regulation.
Grades 6-8: Central or Tierra Linda Middle School. The same program continues, with a curriculum matched to each student's age and maturity. Students who also need subject help can join our EF + Study Skills Hybrid Program.
Grades 9-12: Carlmont High School in Belmont. Coursework runs through Canvas, the learning platform the Sequoia Union High School District adopted in 2017-18. Our high school program adds goal setting, task initiation and working memory to the core skills.
After Carlmont: our Mastering College program covers routines, deadlines and student portals, focus and stamina, and independence. Our Executive Functioning + Study Skills program pairs those skills with subject tutoring.
More on the middle school move: tips for the move from elementary to middle school.
How Coaching Works at The Ladder Method
Coaching moves through 3 stages: intake and assessment, implementation, and ongoing evaluation. You work with a team of staff members rather than a single coach, and regular check-ins keep the work on track.
Intake and assessment
Your family starts with a phone consultation with an enrollment executive from our client services team. After that call, an assessment coach evaluates the student and family in depth. The assessment examines 12 cognitive domains to find how the student learns best.
Ongoing evaluation
Your coach and the Student Success team meet often to review progress and adjust the plan. We track performance, and if results fall short, we contact you to change how the plan is carried out. We also publish cohort results: see our 2023-24 school year results. Results aren't a guarantee, and our 2024-25 results are still being tallied.
Implementation
Our evaluation team and Student Success department turn the assessment into a personalized plan. Sessions follow the timing and length the assessment recommends.
What students learn
Inside those sessions, students work through our Multi-Step Approach:
Executive Functioning Skills: the 12 skills in the next section.
Positive Mindset: our method for teaching mindset skills.
Sustainable Habits & Routines: tools and behaviors that turn the process into habits.
The 12 Executive Functioning Skills We Focus On
Executive functioning is the set of skills people use to plan and carry out tasks, from setting the table to finishing homework and turning it in. These are the 12 skills we focus on, and each student's plan is built from what the assessment finds.
Organization: systems that keep things where they can be found. You might see papers stuffed into a backpack, or lost keys and assignments.
Time management: judging how long something will take. You might see work that isn't done on time, or procrastination.
Working memory: holding information in mind while it's needed. You might see directions forgotten after hearing them repeatedly.
Self-monitoring: knowing how you're doing on a task. You might see a student who can't say why an assignment went badly.
Planning: mapping out and prioritizing a set of tasks. You might see no plan for a project, presentation or night of homework.
Focus and attention: staying on a task, then shifting to the next one when it's time. You might see interruptions in class with unrelated topics.
Task initiation: starting assigned work without coaxing. You might see a student who can't get started or stalls before the next step.
Emotional regulation: reacting in proportion to feedback or instructions. You might see an overreaction to a small problem.
Task management: the small steps and timing inside a bigger project. You might see a student who can't tell which step comes first or how long each takes.
Metacognition: knowing how you learn best. You might see trouble studying for tests.
Goal-directed perseverance: sticking with a task through a challenge. You might see projects left unfinished.
Flexibility: adapting when a due date or expectation changes. You might see an outburst or an impulsive reaction to the change.
Executive Function Coaching for Adults
San Carlos adults meet their coach by video. Adult coaching works on organization, time management and planning, along with mindset techniques such as goal-directed perseverance, resilience and meditation. Our Inner Leadership course covers routines, executive functioning skills, positive mindset techniques and efficiency tools for people in small businesses, large companies and other organizations.
How San Carlos Families Pay for Coaching
Besides paying privately, families have 2 other routes: self-determination funding through the regional center, and HSA or FSA funds. Ask about rates during your complimentary consultation.
Self-determination funding. We accept self-determination funding. In San Mateo County, that program runs through Golden Gate Regional Center, which also serves San Francisco and Marin counties. In California's Self-Determination Program, a family spends an individual budget through a Financial Management Service, and providers don't have to be regional center vendors. Eligibility comes first: regional centers serve people with autism, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy or closely related conditions that begin before age 18. ADHD isn't on that list, and a learning disability or psychiatric diagnosis on its own doesn't qualify, according to Disability Rights California.
HSA or FSA funds. IRS Publication 502 (2025) counts fees "you pay on a doctor's recommendation for a child's tutoring by a teacher who is specially trained and qualified to work with children who have learning disabilities caused by mental or physical impairments, including nervous system disorders" as a medical expense. Your plan administrator decides whether coaching qualifies, so ask whether they need a Letter of Medical Necessity from your child's doctor before you pay. We aren't tax advisors.
Who You'll Work With
Candice Lapin founded The Ladder Method in 2008, after building businesses in fashion and technology. She wrote Parenting in the Age of Perfection: A Modern Guide to Nurturing a Success Mindset and discussed it on KTLA. Our coaches follow the methodology and curriculum she designed.
Our team page lists 14 executive functioning coaches at 3 levels: Executive Functioning Coach, Senior Executive Functioning Coach and Master Executive Functioning Coach. 12 of them coach virtually. Our coaches are trained in executive functioning coaching, and a team of administrators regularly oversees and reviews their work. Meet our coaches.
Questions San Carlos Families Ask
Do you coach in person in San Carlos?
Our in-person coaching runs in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Austin. San Carlos families meet their coach by video, which is how 12 of the 14 coaches on our team already work.
What ages do you coach?
Students from 5th grade through university, plus adults. Our elementary and middle school program covers grades 5-8, and our high school and university programs pick up from there.
Do you work with students who have learning differences?
Yes. We coach students with and without learning differences, and learning difference strategies are part of our programs.
Is executive function coaching the same as therapy?
No. Coaching builds the skills for managing tasks and responsibilities. Therapy is delivered by licensed mental health professionals who diagnose and treat psychological concerns. The 2 work best when used together.
How is coaching different from tutoring?
Coaching teaches the skills behind schoolwork, such as organization, time management and planning. Tutoring teaches a subject. Our EF + Study Skills Hybrid Program combines both for students who need subject help too.
How do we get started?
Book a complimentary consultation through our contact page. If none of the open times work, contact our office for more availability.
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