Tennessee's Early Intervention System is a voluntary educational program for families with children through age 2 with disabilities or developmental delays.
What does Early Intervention do?
Early Intervention:
- Supports families in helping their child’s development
- Helps the child participate in family and community activities
- Encourages the active participation of the whole family in the child’s development
How does Early Intervention work?
▪ It takes place at home and in the community, with the family.
The family is present and involved in interventions at all times. The child is never isolated from the family or left to work separately with providers.
▪ Families and professionals work together to create and monitor goals. The program emphasizes teamwork and participation by everyone involved in the process. Working together, the parent and provider develop, implement, monitor and make any changes to the intervention activities.
▪ Goals are family-centered and written with the child and family’s routine in mind.The intervention is linked to specific goals that are family-centered, functional and measurable.
▪ The program plans are aimed at helping children become more social, explore their surroundings and become more independent. The program helps the child learn and grow safely, with their family, into the world around them.
▪ Families use home activity programs to work with their child throughout the week.All the elements of the program work together. The plan is built around family routines, with written home activity programs that encourage family participation on a daily basis.
▪ Goals and strategies are monitored. Intervention is monitored periodically to assure that the strategies are successful.
▪ Providers are held to high standards. Children and their families in the TEIS program deserve the highest-quality services. High standards are set for the training and credentialing of all EI staff—with a focus on achieving excellence.
Learn more about Tennessee’s Early Intervention System.
For questions or to make a referral, call 800-852-7157 or contact the Part C Coordinator at 615-741-9873.
See more TEIS Questions and Answers.