This is a private virtual training developed for and hosted by the Lutheran Services Florida - Duval County staff. If you are a staff member, please contact LSF directly for the access code.

If you are not on staff but interested in training on ERSEA, please review our Head Start training page or Contact Us.

Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance (ERSEA) requirements have confused Head Start programs for many years. For some provisions, the language alone is intricate and tricky to understand, but even those rules that appear straightforward can be difficult to implement and apply to real-life situations. This workshop will provide an in-depth examination of the ERSEA requirements, answer frequently asked questions, and discuss approaches to common ERSEA challenges faced by Head Start programs.

Who is included in the "family" and what is "income"?

Income eligibility will be a major focus on the workshop. While the Head Start program recognizes the many family structures that exist in today’s world, doing so complicates the income eligibility determination process because there are so many variations. The workshop will cover key questions related to Head Start eligibility, including:

• Which individuals count as “family”?
• What money counts as “income”?

How do you determine and verify eligibility based on public benefits, homelessness, foster care?

Beyond income, there are other ways to be deemed eligible for Head Start services, especially for children and pregnant woman. The workshop will cover other common paths to eligibility and discuss strategies for determining and verifying eligibility under these methods.

Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance

Head Start services must be designed to meet the needs of your community. As a result, how your program structures selection criteria and sets priorities, matters, and must ensure that those families most in need receive services. The workshop will cover:

• Planning a recruitment strategy and who should be involved in the process
• Screening and other deadlines triggered by Head Start enrollment
• Strategies to comply with Full Enrollment Program Instruction
• Requirements for monitoring and reporting attendance under the Head Start Performance Standards

What's Included?

• Educational sessions by attorneys with experience in Head Start Compliance and Federal Grant Law
• Interactive format to encourage candid discussion of program implementation challenges and successes
• Electronic course materials available for download