The primary goal of EI is to support families in promoting their child’s 
 optimal development and to facilitate the child’s participation in family
 and community activities.

       The focus of EI is to encourage the active participation of families in the
 intervention by imbedding strategies into family routines.  It is the
 parents who provide the real early intervention by creatively adapting
 their child care methods to facilitate the development of their child,
 while balancing the needs of the rest of the family.

Eligibility for TEIS

Every state has a Part C program for children birth through two years of age and their families, under the Individual’s with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Each state decides its own eligibility rules.

In Tennessee, a child with a diagnosis from the list below or children whose test results show that they have a 25% delay in two developmental areas or a 40% delay in one area may be eligible for TEIS.  A child may have a developmental delay if he or she is far behind other children their age in one or more of the five major skill areas:

1.    motor (crawling, walking, using their hands to play)

2.    communication (babbling, indicating wants and needs, talking)

3.    cognitive (thinking skills including making choices and solving
  problems)

4.    social (playing near or with other children or adults)    

5.    adaptive (taking care of one’s needs)

6.    Information from the child’s doctor as well as the results of a
  developmental test will determine if a child meets the eligibility
  criteria in Tennessee. 

A child eligible based on developmental delay is eligible through Part A of TEIS. A child eligible based on a specific diagnosis or condition is eligible through Part B of TEIS.

TEIS Diagnoses & Conditions for Part B Eligibility List- Alphabetized

TEIS Diagnoses & Conditions for Part B Eligibility List- Categorized

To make a referral to TEIS
Call 1-800-852-7157, (click here for state map and contact information) or contact Ruth Wiseman, Public Awareness Coordinator at 615-532-2809 or through email. 

Provide your name, contact information, child's name, date of birth, county the child lives in, parent information (if someone other than the parent calls) and the developmental concern when making a referral.  A service coordinator will make several attempts to contact the parent within five days of the referral by phone and by mail.

GALLATIN RIP
528 East Main Street
Gallatin, Tennessee 37066
Business: (615) 451-9618
Fax: (615) 452-1355
Penny Duncan, RIP Coordinator
Email: pduncan@vbhcs.org
 
JOHNSON CITY RIP 
HELEN ROSS McNABB CENTER, INC.
106 West Watauga
Johnson City, Tennessee 37604
Business: (423) 232-4211
Fax: (423) 232-4203
Ashley Mullins, RIP Coordinator
Email: amullins@frontierhealth.org

KINGSPORT RIP
FRONTIER HEALTH HOLSTON
CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES
2001 Stonebrook Place
Kingsport, Tennessee 37660
Business: (423) 224-1020
Fax: (423) 224-1023
Ashley Mullins, RIP Coordinator
Email: amullins@frontierhealth.org

KNOXVILLE RIP
600 Arthur Street
Knoxville, Tennessee 37921
Business: (865) 523-8695 ext. 1125
Fax: (865) 523-6827
Bethany Townsend, RIP Coordinator
Email: btownsend@mcnabb.org 

MEMPHIS RIP
THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
4111 So. MSU B Street, Bldg. 48
Memphis, Tennessee 38152-6173
Business: (901) 678-5258
Fax: (901) 678-5230
Robin Stevens, RIP Coordinator
Email: rwelsh@memphis.edu

MURFREESBORO RIP
434 East Bell Street
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130
Business: (615) 890-4622
Fax: (615) 849-2345
Kimberly Nash, RIP Coordinator
Email: knash@vbhcs.org