Former Programs

The HRSA Grant

HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) though the Maternal and  Child Health Bureau funded this 4 year project to work on SOC for kids with serious emotional disturbance (SED).  Tennessee Voices for Children became involved in this project to increase access to a full system of family centered, community based services to children and youth with SED and their families.  The system sought to integrate coordinated services through all child-serving agencies that participate in the managed care system.  Tennessee Voices for Children felt that through an extensive training project, executive level as well as direct care staff of the managed care organizations would increase their understanding of this population. 

HRSA served as a portal to provide outreach to parents who are having difficulties accessing mental health services for their children and navigating the health care system. HRSA assisted parents in directing their efforts to overcome barriers to access and implement services for their children that are local and keep the child in their familiar surroundings, their community. 

HRSA assisted parents having difficulties accessing insurance.  Public insurance and private insurance both are difficult undertakings for parents and with a little assistance and direction they are able to navigate this process the next time independently.

The Nashville Family Alliance Center

The Nashville Family Alliance Center was a partnership between the Arc of Davidson County and Tennessee Voices for Children. The Center provided training, information, assistance and resources to families and providers of children with all disabilities (physical, mental or developmental). Our main area of focus was the unserved/underserved communities of Nashville, including minorities, immigrant and refugee populations.

We Helped Parents:

• Understand your child's disability and special needs
• Understand the laws and regulations affecting individuals with disabilities
• Learn effective communication skills and techniques
• Communicate more effectively with professionals
• Access and obtain information about programs and services for your child.
• Find information in Spanish and other languages
• Participate in the IEP process

We offered special education training for groups of parents and professionals. Initial training was offered in the following areas: How Special Education Works, What is Inclusion, Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Parent Rights.

We provided individualized assistance by phone, email, in person or snail mail. We helped parents problem solve and provide information about their child’s disability and resources in the Nashville area.

The Center held workshops in the Nashville community (Churches, Family Centers, YMCA, Firehouses, etc.).

The Nashville Family Alliance Center was funded, in part, by a grant from the US Department of Education.

Staff at the Nashville Family Alliance Center were parents of children with disabilities.

Nashville Supports Early Education Staff (SEES) was a child care initiative designed to provide a qualified and affordable substitute pool to Davidson County’s child care providers.

Nashville SEES provided consistent, dependable care for the children in daycare programs while their regular teacher was absent. Our teachers able to help you turn a potentially stressful event in a program into an opportunity for growth and learning. Services were available to all providers from corporate facilities, to non-profit centers, to group child care homes.

Participating centers and group child care homes had the opportunity to receive training through Tennessee Voices for Children’s Child Care Consulting Program. Workshops included social and emotional teaching strategies and addressing challenging behavior.