BASIC: Better Attitudes and Skills in Children
Project B.A.S.I.C. (Better Attitudes and Skills in Children) is a school-based, mental health prevention and early intervention service that focuses on the promotion of mental health in children in the earliest school grades (K-3rd grade). The program includes: identification and referral of children with serious emotional disturbance (SED), teacher consultation, student consultation, positive school climate activities, and classroom mental health promotion presentations, all guided by the Pyramid Model framework.
Pictured Below: Child Development Specialists gather at a conference in 2024
B.A.S.I.C. started in 1985 with just five sites in west Tennessee, and the last four decades, it has grown to 72 sites in 62 counties. Nearly 2,400 Tennessee students recevied individual mental health supports in the most recent year thanks to the Child Development Specialists (CDS) who are part of Project B.A.S.I.C. Click this link or the image of the map below to see where the B.A.S.I.C. Child Development Specialists are working.
For More Information
If you have concerns or need services for yourself, a child, or family member, contact our Helpline:
Phone: 800-560-5767
Email: OCA.TDMHSAS@tn.gov
Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except for state holidays)
If you feel at any time that you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call or text 988 and press 0 to speak to a trained counselor or chat with 988lifeline.org.
To learn more about BASIC, please contact:
Caty Davis
Assistant Director of School Based Initiatives
865-440-9792
Caty.Davis@tn.gov