Food Aide

About the Program

Early Head Start

General Description

The Food Aide assists in the organization, delivery, and service of nutritious meals and snacks to enrolled children. This role maintains sanitary food service areas and ensures compliance with mandated portion sizes and safety protocols.

About You

The ideal candidate for our program is a self-motivated and dedicated person who is excited and passionate about helping infants, toddlers, and families grow in development and education. You are a personable, energetic, and empathetic leader capable of working collaboratively with multiple staff members and managers. You manage projects effectively, and your prioritization ensures that we meet our internal Urban Strategies goals and objectives, all while complying with current Head Start Performance Standards.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED
• Valid Food Handler Certification
• One to three years' experience working with families and children 0 to three years of age and Food Handling

Competencies

Professional: Proactivity, Interpersonal Relations, Organized

Technical: Food Handling, Safety, Food Management

Organizational: Teamwork, Community Approach

• Personal cleanliness must be maintained while involved in food handling operations: sanitary protective clothing, hair covering, and footwear must be worn and maintained in a clean, sanitary manner
• Fingernails must be trim and cleaned; nail polish and fake fingernails are not acceptable
• Gloves, if worn, must be clean and sanitary
• All food-handling personnel must remove objects (i.e. watches, jewelry, scarves, etc.) from their person which may fall into or contaminate the food product
• Tobacco, gum, and food are not permitted in food-handling areas

Other Requirements

• Basic skills using MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)
• Must have Valid Driver's License, Personal Vehicle and Liability Insurance

Responsibilities

• Inspect food items to ensure quality, freshness, safety, and regulatory compliance, providing timely feedback to the food vendor
• Organize the food for infants and toddlers according to the approved menus to ensure all required meal components are present in correct portions for each classroom's age group in compliance with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• Facilitate food delivery to classrooms and monitor and document temperatures for both food items and storage/holding equipment to meet local Arizona health regulations
• Stay informed of current child food allergies and special dietary needs records and strictly execute special meal accommodations without cross-contamination and accurately document dietary modifications
• In accordance with the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) standards, clean and sanitize all kitchen surfaces, equipment, and meal service areas after every use, ensuring all dishes are fully washed and sanitized using the dishwasher
• Maintain a clean, organized food storage area with all items properly labeled and dated
• Assist with food inventory and maintain records of food purchases and production quantities
• Prepare job-specific documentation for the Child and Adult Care Food Program CACFP
• Submit kitchen inventory and food supply requests to the program's assigned staff member within designated timeframes
• Receive food purchases and rotate inventory based on the first in, first out (FIFO) food safety inventory rotation method
• Manage and optimize the use of assigned kitchen resources, including food supplies, equipment, detergents, and materials
• Apply standard food handler safety principles and regulatory guidelines to all daily food service operations
• Follow the recommendations established by the Department of Health
• Comply with all state and federal regulations regarding the program
• Attend all Professional Development training required by the program
• Complete other related activities and duties as assigned

Physical Demands

• Ability to see at normal distance, hear normal conversations and sounds and use hands and fingers to fill out required forms
• Ability to lift infants and toddlers weighing up to forty (40) pounds, twenty (20) pounds overhead and forty (40) pounds from waist to shoulder; occasional lifting of fifty (50) pounds is required and must be able to push/pull up to fifty pounds horizontally
• Ability to sit on the floor, bend at the waist, kneel and/or stoop 75% of the time
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions as long as the staff disability does not create an undue risk of injury to any enrolled children in the classroom

About Urban Strategies

Urban Strategies exists to equip, resource and connect faith- and community-based organizations so that all children and families can reach their full potential. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., our team serves in the U.S. mainland, Puerto Rico, and Central America.

Company Culture

Our work is driven by our three core values:

• Authentic Relationships are foundational to our work and move beyond a transactional nature to truly know people. They serve as opportunities for mutual development and growth and are based on the belief that all people have inherent dignity and worth
• Servant Leadership is rooted in an other-centric mindset that informs the way one leads and builds up individuals, families, and communities
• Intentional Compassion describes a deliberate commitment to understand, formulate strategic responses, and activate others to reach their full potential

Benefits

• Vacation time is generous but varies depending on program and position
• 9 Sick Days and 11 Holidays
• Positions that require laptops, the company provides one
• Positions that require cellphone, company issues one

Perks

• Meaningful employee engagement programs
• Education discounts (BA-PhD) with a variety of education partners

Reports to: Health Services Manager
Salary: $15.15 per hour
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Job Type: Non-Exempt
Work Schedule: Part Time