Child and Youth Program Food Service Worker

Responsibilities

• Helps in food preparation with tasks such as peeling potatoes; cutting, sorting and washing vegetables and fruits; assembling sandwiches; and measuring and weighing ingredients.
• Stocks food service carts with appropriate utensils, plates, bowls, food and beverages, as required for family style dining in the classrooms or activity areas.
• Wraps, arranges, and/or packages items for serving to children and youth.
• Transports food from kitchen area to classrooms or activity areas.
• Returns carts, dishes, and leftover food to the kitchen and disposes of all food waste and trash.
• Performs kitchen maintenance tasks such as pre-rinsing and washing pots, pans, dishes, glasses and silverware; cleaning serving carts, food preparation areas, cupboards, drawers, and dishwashing areas; setting up and operating a mechanical dishwasher; removing inspection doors, strainer pans, screens, and spray arms for preventative maintenance and cleaning; scraping, soaping, scrubbing, and scouring the heavier cooking utensils; performing heavy-duty cleaning tasks; maintaining work area cleanliness; operating, breaking down, and cleaning all electrical equipment assigned to the area for food preparation; storing sanitized dishes and silverware; labeling and dating all items in refrigerators and freezers; and unloading food and supplies from delivery trucks.
• Maintains food storage by labeling and dating all items in refrigerators and freezers and storing leftovers in accordance with sanitation and health standards; storing canned, boxed, and/or frozen items in food storage area; and moving heavy garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area.
• Assists with additional responsibilities such as ensuring compliance with U.S. Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) standards, policies, and regulations; reporting suspected incidences of child abuse and neglect to Family Advocacy and Child Protective Services; and performing other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must satisfactorily complete all background checks for child care positions, including fingerprint checks, a Tier 1 with Child Care check, and a State Criminal History Repository (SCHR) check.
• Must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical, provide evidence of immunization, be free of all communicable diseases, and obtain appropriate immunization against communicable diseases.
• Must have the ability to sustain considerable walking, standing, bending, stooping, and lifting up to 40 pounds.
• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Must successfully obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as needed.
• Must possess knowledge and understanding of food handling techniques, personal hygiene standards, and safe work procedures.
• Must have working knowledge of diet principles, sanitation standards and procedures to prevent contamination, and basic arithmetic in order to count the number of table sand serving bowls required to determine the number of servings a container will yield.
• Must have skill to perform tasks involving several procedures, overcome practical production problems, evaluate final food products, and initiate corrective action when an item does not meet established quality standards.
• Must be able to develop standardized recipes for quantity cooking, expand and modify recipes according to the capacity of the equipment in the kitchen as well as in response to adjustments in the number of servings required.
• Must have the ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, and possess strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Education requirement: H.S. Diploma or equivalent.

Qualifications

• Knowledge and understanding of food handling techniques, personal hygiene standards, and safe work procedures.
• Knowledge of techniques for measuring ingredients and basic understanding of recipe construction.
• Working knowledge of diet principles.
• Working knowledge of sanitation standards and procedures to prevent contamination.
• Skill to perform tasks involving several procedures.
• Skill to overcome practical production problems, evaluate final food products, and initiate corrective action when an item does not meet established quality standards.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing, and possess strong interpersonal communication skills.