STARS is the leader in school-based student assistance program services in middle Tennessee. STARS helps schools tackle tough issues that threaten the emotional, psychological and academic well-being of students - issues such as substance abuse, violence, bullying, harassment, family conflicts and divorce, loss, grief, and other concerns. Through assemblies, classroom presentations, and group or individual counseling sessions, STARS Nashville assists schools in preventing and confronting these difficult challenges.

STARS serves more than 75 schools and community sites in 10 Middle Tennessee counties. This ensures that students and teachers can access services when they need them and facilitates communication. It also means that each STARS specialist is an integral part of his or her school culture. In addition to school-based programs and services in Middle Tennessee, STARS Nashville is an important national resource for training and professional consults.

Our KIDS ON THE BLOCK program reached over 40,000 young children in 2008-2009 by making over 500 puppet performances in Middle Tennessee.

All of the programs and services STARS provides have been substantiated by the latest evidence-based research. This research proves that social and emotional learning programs have far-reaching effects on students' academic performance - from better attendance records to more constructive classroom behaviors, to higher grade point avergages.

This is why our dedicated staff at STARS constantly sound the following rallying cry to advocates of high stakes testing: "No Emotion Left Behind."