Early Intervention
Tennessee's Early Intervention System
Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS) is the lead agency designated by the state Department of Education to oversee the Early Intervention system and programs within the state of Tennessee. TEIS serves as the initial point of entry in the EI system. TEIS is devoted to providing services to families of children with special needs in the most natural environments, at home and with children of all abilities.
TEIS personnel act as incoming Service Coordinators to assist families in receiving the rights, procedural safeguards, and services that are authorized to be provided under Part C of IDEA. Service Coordinators ensure that all services pertaining to the child’s needs are implemented as required. They work in collaboration with families and other service providers in order to assist the family in accessing needed services. The role of the service coordinator is essential to the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). There are nine (9) district offices of TEIS in the state of Tennessee. There are 3 offices for each of the three main regions of the state – East, West, and Middle Tennessee.
Referrals are made to the TEIS offices and TEIS staff ensures that all pertinent information is gathered about the child and family and those children receive the appropriate evaluation and/or assessment procedures needed in order to determine eligibility. Once eligibility is established and the IFSP written or scheduled, TEIS staff refers the child to a direct service provider of the family’s choosing who can best implement the IFSP as required. For further information on TEIS services, interested parties can view the TEIS website at http://www.state.tn.us/education/speced/TEIS/.
