ERSEA Specialist

www.eastsidehouse.org                    

Position Title 

ERSEA Specialist 

Department  

Early Childhood Education 

Site/Location 

Mott Haven Winifred Wheeler   

375 East 143rd Street 200 Alexander Ave   

Bronx, NY  10454 Bronx, NY  10454  

Mill Brook Children’s Pride   

201 Saint Ann’s Avenue 414 Morris Avenue  

Bronx, NY, 10454 Bronx, NY 10451 

Honorable Eugene Oliver, Jr. Education Center  

705 Concourse Village West  

Bronx, NY 10451 

Job Classification 

Non-Exempt 

Full-Time 

Salary Range 

$65,000 - $70,000 annually 

Reports To 

Deputy Director of Early Childhood Programs 

MISSION STATEMENT 

East Side House cares for the individuals, families, and communities we serve by expanding opportunities to live more fulfilling lives through education, career, and supportive services. 

JOB DESCRIPTION 

Summary/ Objective 

East Side House (ESH) is a community resource in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan. We believe education is the key that enables all people to create economic and civic opportunities for themselves, their families, and their community.  ESH’s Early Childhood Program aligns with our mission by providing high quality programs and services within community centers and school partnerships.   

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Early Childhood Programs, the ERSEA Specialist is responsible for ensuring that eligible children and families can access, enroll in, and consistently participate in Head Start services. The ERSEA Specialist will create an equitable, compliant system that identifies and serves the children and families who can most benefit from Head Start while reducing barriers that may prevent them from accessing or consistently participating in services. As a member of the Early Childhood team, the ERSEA Specialist is expected to manage and monitor the full ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance) process. This position’s direct reports include three Family Workers and the role interacts with the Education and Disabilities teams. With a focus on family services, the ERSEA Specialist provides oversight, coordination, technical assistance, monitoring, and staff support related to ERSEA. 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities 

Under the supervision of the Deputy Director of Early Childhood Programs, the ERSEA Specialist will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following: 

• Eligibility: Review and verify applications and supporting documentation to ensure accurate eligibility determinations in accordance with Head Start Program Performance Standards and agency policies and procedures. 

• Recruitment: Implement recruitment and outreach activities informed by community needs, enrollment trends, and program priorities to reach eligible children and families, including those with the greatest need.  

• Selection: Implement approved selection criteria and maintain an accurate waiting list to support equitable prioritization of children and families.  

• Enrollment: Monitor enrollment levels, coordinate placement of eligible children, track vacancies, and support timely filling of available slots.  

• Attendance: Monitor daily and monthly attendance data, identify attendance concerns and patterns, and collaborate with staff and families to address barriers to regular attendance. 

• Records and data management: Maintain complete, accurate, confidential, and timely ERSEA records in the program’s data management system and conduct routine data-quality checks. 

• Staff training and technical assistance: Provide ERSEA training, guidance, and ongoing support to family services. Support onboarding and ongoing professional development of Family Workers; communicate procedures, model family-centered practices, and identify training needs. 

• Compliance monitoring: Conduct regular reviews of eligibility and enrollment files to identify documentation or compliance concerns and ensure corrective actions are completed. 

• Family support: Provide families with clear information about eligibility, enrollment requirements, program options, and enrollment processes while promoting respectful and equitable access to services. 

• Collaboration: Work closely with program leadership (Education and Disabilities) to coordinate enrollment and ensure children receive appropriate services. Build and maintain relationships with community partners and represent the program at outreach events as assigned. 

• Confidentiality and professionalism: Protect personally identifiable information and maintain professional and ethical standards when working with children, families, staff and community partners. 

• Federal and agency compliance: Remain current on applicable Head Start requirements and support preparation for federal monitoring, internal reviews, audits, and other compliance activities. 

• Perform other program-related duties as assigned.  

Other Duties 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.  

Qualifications

To perform this position successfully, the ERSEA Specialist must be able to fulfill all the elements of the job description to the highest standard and be able to work well with colleagues in a high energy and collaborative work environment.  Additional qualifications include: 

Education / Experience  

• Associate degree in human services, social work, early childhood education, public administration, or a related field required; bachelor’s degree preferred. Relevant experience may be considered in accordance with agency policy. 

• At least two (2) years of experience in Head Start, Early Head Start, early childhood enrollment, family services, social services, or a related community-based program. 

• At least one (1) year of experience supervising, coaching, or providing lead support to family services, enrollment, or community-based program staff preferred. 

• Experience determining eligibility, reviewing supporting documentation, maintaining confidential records, and using a case-management or child-information database strongly preferred. 

Competencies/Qualifications  

• Working knowledge of Head Start ERSEA requirements and the ability to apply written policies consistently 

• Effective supervision, coaching, delegation, workload management, team development, and performance feedback 

• Ability to review staff documentation and case activity for quality, timeliness, compliance, and appropriate family follow-up 

• Accurate eligibility determination, document review, recordkeeping, and confidentiality practices 

• Data entry, validation, analysis, and reporting with strong attention to detail 

• Family-centered interviewing, customer service, and culturally responsive communication 

• Recruitment, outreach, waitlist management, enrollment tracking, and attendance follow-up 

• Organization, time management, and ability to manage multiple deadlines across sites 

• Clear verbal and written communication and effective collaboration with families, staff, and community partners 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and case-management or child-information databases 

• Sound judgment, problem-solving, and commitment to accurate, ethical, and equitable service delivery 

Clearance  

Employees must be clear to work at ESH.  Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background checks and/or screenings. 

Supervisory Responsibility 

This position is responsible for supervising and managing the performance of all designated employees assigned to the position within the department. 

Physical Demands 

This role may involve occasional lifting or moving of items up to 25 pounds and routine use of standard office equipment. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   

Expected Work Schedule 
The work schedule expected for this position is 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, as aligned with the needs of the program/service. The schedule may be adjusted based on ESH’s operational needs. 

EEO Statement  

East Side House (ESH) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.