Thank you to everyone who attended our Building Best Practice Conference last week! It was great to see the many faces that make up our expansive system and visit with the people who provide critical supports and services to Tennessee children and families.
As I mentioned at the conference, I am so proud of how we have come together to operate as a more cohesive unit over the last year. It is the partnership between providers, staff, and stakeholders that has equipped us to extend new options to families and serve more children than ever.
I look forward to being in this work with you in the coming year as well. Thank you for being part of TEIS!
Tell us your thoughts about the conference by taking this brief survey: https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/building_best_practice_conference_survey
Presentations submitted for publishing by the breakout session presenters can be found here: https://bit.ly/3L77bo0. Not all breakout sessions will have the presentations posted.
Find pictures from the conference here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAA9ea
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Governor Lee has proposed expanding early intervention services to maximize opportunity and choice for TEIS families. Upon approval from the Tennessee General Assembly and the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), families enrolled in the TEIS Extended Option may choose to continue receiving TEIS services until the start of the school year following their child’s 5th birthday. This will ensure Tennessee children with disabilities and developmental delays do not see a lapse in services and are set up for lifelong success. Hear more from Commissioner Turner in the video below or at this link: https://youtu.be/5omI0sbJhfY
In the coming months, we will keep providers, staff, and families updated through our regular communication channels such as Tri-Starts, TEIS Provider Office Hours, etc.
As always, thank you for your flexibility through change and for your collaboration as we strengthen our program together.
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TEIS Provider Office Hours |
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Early Intervention Lunch and Learns |
Check out our YouTube playlist of TEIS Professional Development videos here.
Our next Lunch and Learn, “Occupational Therapy Specific for Early Intervention” will be on Wednesday, April 26th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST. The presenters will be Alyssa Loy and Brooke Roell.
Click here to join the meeting
The presentation will provide an overview of occupational therapy (OT) services specific to the early intervention population. We will discuss the role of OT relating to different areas of occupation and provide insight on when you should refer a young child for OT services.
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Alyssa Loy is an occupational therapist employed through Blount Memorial Hospital. Alyssa has practiced in outpatient pediatrics for 5 years. She has a strong interest in sensory processing disorder, early intervention, and feeding. She recently completed additional training to address feeding challenges in February and is now an SOS trained therapist. Alyssa graduated from Western Michigan University with a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and moved to Tennessee in 2017. Alyssa currently resides in Maryville with her husband and her 2-year-old son.
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Brooke Roell is an occupational therapist employed through Blount Memorial Hospital. Brooke has practiced in outpatient pediatrics for 20 years, first as a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA/L) and then as an Occupational Therapist (OTR/L). She has a strong interest in sensory processing disorder, early intervention, and feeding. She has completed the first SOS training course and has been practicing sensory based feeding using this model since 2021. Brooke graduated from Belmont University in Nashville with a Master’s degree in 2008. She lives with her husband and 2 sons in Maryville, TN.
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It’s a Balance: Supporting Caregiver & Child Learning During (and between!) Early Intervention Visits Series |
Don't forget! The next webinar of the series is April 20th! Prepare for the next session by downloading the handouts here: https://bit.ly/3A21AsK
This series is designed to build awareness and bring a balanced perspective to early intervention practice that facilitates learning for both caregivers and children during visits. These sessions will also include opportunities for participants to reflect on their practices, practice using specific strategies between sessions, and learn from others during interactive chat conversations that engage participants during each webinar.
Statewide Early Intervention Service Providers, Service Coordinators, and TEIS leaders are welcome.
Click the title to join.
Gathering Meaningful Information from Families to Guide Early Intervention April 20th from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
Writing Functional IFSP Outcomes: A How-To Guide May 11th from 11 to 12:30 p.m. CST
Steps & Strategies for Conducting Balanced EI Visits: Time to Reflect May 25th from 11 to 12:30 p.m. CST
Dana is facilitating 5 interactive webinars encouraging frequent engagement with and among participants using chat and Teams. Each webinar will stand alone but concepts also build on each other as participants gain a deeper understanding of how to support caregiver and child learning during and between intervention visits. She will provide a note-taking handout with key points from each session and a self-assessment or checklist on each topic to be shared with participants before each session.
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At the BBP Conference, we were excited to share a new initiative with our EIRA Directors. Moving forward, TRIAD will implement a coaching partnership with TEIS to assist in building the confidence and capacity of our Qualified Rater (QR) candidates in using the FGRBI model and coaching other staff to achieve the indicators. The first cohort of eligible candidates who have successfully completed all four QR workshops will start in the fall. More details to come soon.
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Last summer, we convened a childcare focus group to discuss barriers when providing early intervention services in childcare centers. The barrier that the focus group wanted to address first was engaging childcare providers. We have been working with the TN Department of Human Services (DHS) to resolve issues that staff and providers have been experiencing in the field. Please continue to report any issues that you may be experiencing with providing services in childcare centers to the POE offices directly. This way we can identify the DHS representative more easily so they can provide support to the childcare center directly.
We are excited to share with you the resource documents created by the childcare focus group. We hope this will assist in building relationships with childcare providers and give them some needed information about TEIS and early intervention.
Click here to view the resource documents.
We are preparing to call for participants for our next childcare focus group which will target: “How should a childcare session look utilizing FGRBI principles?”. If you are interested in participating, watch for more details to come in Tri-Starts.
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TEIS is looking for current providers who are interested in expanding services and service areas! We are looking to increase capacity for services in all counties across the state. If you are an EIRA with interest in adding therapy services or if you are a current vendor who is ready to hire additional therapists or expand services, we want to talk to you! Contact Beth Hailey at Beth.Hailey@tn.gov for more information.
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TSD Family Learning Weekend |
The Tennessee School for the Deaf is hosting their Family Learning Weekend June 2-4, 2023.
Family Learning Weekend is designed for families to come together for a relaxed opportunity to connect with other families, attend sessions on topics of interest, for children to socialize with their peers, and visit the Tennessee School for the Deaf Knoxville campus. This year Family Learning Weekend will focus on Transitions.
Click here to learn more.
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- Statewide Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC): April 18th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST
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Professional Development with Dana Childress: April 20th from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. CST
- Lunch and Learn: Occupational Therapy Specific for Early Intervention: April 26th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
- EIRA Advisory Council: May 9th from 9 to 11 a.m. CST
- TEIS Provider Office Hours: May 10th from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. CST
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Do you have a story you would like to share with the TEIS community? Send your newsletter ideas to Carly Carlton at Carly.Carlton@tn.gov.
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