Thank you for your interest in Partners on a Journey of Hope-Tennessee’s Early Intervention Service Coordination Training. We are proud to share our efforts in Tennessee to equip early intervention service coordinators with the knowledge and skills that they need so they may better serve families.

Tennessee’s early intervention service coordination training can be compared to a toddler’s first steps. The training modules serve as a guiding hand as service coordinators learn ways to partner with families in order to promote successful outcomes for infants and toddlers with special needs.

Like the toddler, first steps require practice in the real world. The modules will assist coordinators in their preparation as they gain experience in the field. No amount of classroom knowledge, lecture, study, or testing can fully prepare someone to knock on a stranger’s door and begin to build a relationship with those inside. Ongoing field experience and mentoring is crucial to building skill as a service coordinator. The core training modules will provide a foundation to begin the journey as service coordinators strive to walk in partnership with families. Routes may vary somewhat according to the unique values we hold and those of the communities we serve. Our destination, however, remains the same-to empower families by promoting a comprehensive system of early intervention supports and services that meets the needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities.

Core training in Tennessee includes ten modules. Each module requires 3-6 hours to administer. Throughout the training, service coordinators are asked to complete specific assignments that are kept in a portfolio in order to document their efforts and competencies. These activities are snapshots of all they will learn. The modules include a variety of learning activities to support different adult learning styles including lecture, outside reading assignments, videos, child case scenarios, field observations, site visits, interviews, pre-and post-tests, worksheets, web research, and case file reviews.

Finally, we are most indebted to our greatest teachers, the children and families whose lives we are privileged to join in partnership on a journey of hope.