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Early Childhood Development Specialist: Healthy Steps Specialist
Company : Essen Health Care
Location : Bronx, NY, 10460
Job Type : Full Time
Date Posted : 31 December 2025
Overview
At Essen Health Care, we care for that!
As the largest privately held multispecialty medical group in the Bronx, we provide high-quality, compassionate, and accessible medical care to some of the most vulnerable and under-served residents of New York State. Guided by a Population Health model of care, Essen has five integrated clinical divisions offering urgent care, primary care, and specialty services, as well as nursing home staffing and care management. Founded in 1999, our over 20-year commitment has fueled an unwavering dedication toward innovating a better healthcare delivery system. Essen has expanded from a single primary care office to an umbrella organization offering specialties from women’s health to endocrinology, from psychiatry to a vast array of other specialties. All clinical services are offered via telehealth or in-person at over 35 medical offices and at home through the Essen House Calls program.
Essen Health Care is the place Where Care Comes Together! We are looking for the most talented and effective individuals to join our rapidly growing company. With over 1,100 employees and 400+ Practitioners, we care for over 250,000 patients annually in New York City and beyond. From medical providers to administration & operational staff, there is a career here for you. Join our team today!
Job Summary
The HealthySteps Specialist is an early child development expert who will join the pediatric primary care team to provide
interventions, referrals, and follow-up for families with patients ages 0-3.
The HealthySteps Specialist builds strong relationships
with families and providers to increase the efficiency of the medical system and support team-based comprehensive care.
Responsibilities
Preventive and Responsive Care
Promotes HealthySteps within the practice to families and providers
Conducts team-based well-child visits before, during, or following the primary care provider; visits focus on monitoring
development, social-emotional functioning, and relational health, and providing anticipatory guidance
Conducts consultations on a short-term basis for needs regarding development and/or behavioral concerns such as sleep, positive
parenting, picky eating, etc.
Maintains a family support line and responds to and tracks call requests within the designated response time
Participates in reflective supervision meetings
May conduct home visits and may accompany families to key medical, specialty, and community agency appointments as needed
May facilitate parent/caregiver groups
Referrals and Community Collaborations
Creates and maintains community resource directory/database. Provides referrals and tracks follow-up, as appropriate, to help
families make successful connections to key resources within the community.
Reaches out to community providers within first 6 months in position to share about HealthySteps, their role, and receive
information to support referrals, warm handoffs, and ensure appropriate referral criteria is met.
Participates (when appropriate) in community-wide early childhood and/or mental health meetings.
Team-Based Care
Is an active member of the HS Implementation Team and attends regular team meetings
Works with the front office administrative staff to ensure scheduling of the HS Specialist’s time in coordination with provider visits (i.e., well-child visits)
Engages in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) initiatives to ensure the HealthySteps model is delivered with fidelity
Collaborates with HealthySteps implementation team to implement all eight Core Components including universal screenings, making positive parenting and early learning guidance information available, and adjusting workflows for optimal efficiency
Maintains open communication with all members of the primary care team
Works closely with pediatric primary providers around care coordination, goal setting, coaching, and education about key aspects of a child’s development
Provides consultation and/or facilitates training to medical professionals and all practice staff re: early childhood development, early relational health/infant early childhood mental health, and trauma-informed practice Caseload Tracking, Record Keeping, and Reporting Maintains extensive databases required to meet HealthySteps fidelity metrics including both internal and external referrals. Collaborates with HealthySteps Implementation Team to complete required annual site reporting to the HealthySteps National Office at ZERO TO THREE, which may include analysis of both external database files and EHR data reports. Documents all patient clinical activity and care coordination in EHR. Tracks caseload to ensure capacity to deliver the HS services within the risk stratified service delivery model. This includes ensuring exit criteria is met and that families and children are elevated to higher levels of care or referred to community providers if needed.
Qualifications
Education:
Master’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, early childhood education, or related field REQUIRED
SKILLS:
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Commitment to working with underserved populations in a community setting
Empathic, supportive, and patient
Strong motivational interviewing skills
Ability to take initiative and a willingness to learn
Ability to collect and enter data for program management, evaluation, and reporting purposes
Salary: $75,000-$80,000
Equal Opportunity Employer
Essen Health care is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we seek candidates who desire to work in and serve an ethnically diverse population.
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Frequently asked questions
Specialists in Bronx focus on culturally sensitive early interventions for children aged 0-3, helping families navigate developmental milestones and social-emotional growth. They collaborate with local providers and community resources to ensure that children receive comprehensive care tailored to urban and underserved populations.
Yes, certifications like Child Development Associate (CDA) or specialized training in infant mental health are highly valued in NYC. These credentials demonstrate expertise in early childhood care and enhance employability, especially in organizations committed to trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices.
This role emphasizes integrated care skills, including motivational interviewing and team-based collaboration within pediatric primary care. Specialists must be adept at managing caseloads, conducting home visits, and facilitating parent groups, focusing heavily on early relational health and preventive strategies.
Essen integrates multispecialty services with a population health model, offering both telehealth and in-person care. Their Healthy Steps Specialists work closely with a broad medical team to provide seamless developmental support, reflecting a holistic and community-driven approach unique to Essen’s Bronx network.
Within Essen, the specialist acts as a bridge between families and health providers, delivering developmental screenings, behavioral consultations, and community referrals. They enhance well-child visits by focusing on social-emotional aspects and coordinate care plans to optimize outcomes for children under three years old.
Salaries typically range from $75,000 to $80,000 annually in Bronx for specialists with master’s degrees in relevant fields. This range aligns with local cost of living and reflects the specialized skills required for managing early childhood developmental programs in underserved urban settings.
Essen promotes continuous quality improvement and reflective supervision, providing specialists with regular team meetings and access to training on trauma-informed care, early relational health, and developmental screening protocols, ensuring professionals remain updated and effective within the evolving healthcare landscape.
Challenges include cultural diversity, socioeconomic barriers, and resource access limitations. Specialists can overcome these by building trust through empathetic communication, leveraging community partnerships for referrals, and tailoring interventions that respect family backgrounds and local context.
Bronx shows growing demand for early childhood development experts due to its underserved populations. While competition exists, candidates with strong community engagement skills and relevant master's level education stand out, especially if they demonstrate experience with integrated healthcare models like Essen’s.
Essen’s model offers a multidisciplinary environment emphasizing population health and telehealth options, which may be less common elsewhere. Specialists benefit from a large, diverse patient base and collaborative teams, contrasting with more fragmented or narrowly focused child development services in some local institutions.