TEMPORARY ELC Cook

Temporary Position February 17 through March 23, 2025 (dates subject to change)

Hiring range: $23.00 – $25.00 DOE (Full salary range up to $25.00 for long-tenured staff currently in position or other exceptional circumstances.)

Warren Village’s Mile High United Way Early Learning Center (ELC) at Alameda serves children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old in a comprehensive, high-quality early learning environment attached to a low-income, permanent supportive housing complex. The Cook will work with the Food Services Coordinator at Gilpin to establish general planning and preparation of nutritionally balanced and attractive breakfasts, lunches and snacks for children enrolled in the facility. This employee will work with the Coordinator to alter menus to meet specific nutritional needs as required by state regulations and conforming to the children’s’ preferences and dietary requirements. An excellent cook must be able to follow instructions in cooking and delivering well-prepared meals.  They must be deft in moving around the kitchen and apt in multi-tasking.  Experience in using various ingredients and cooking techniques is also important, maintaining the highest stands of quality, timeliness and compliance.

Warren Village recognizes that our backgrounds are broad, and our talents are many, from different lived experiences.  We value and leverage our differences to encompass and reflect the communities we serve.  We align our policies, practices, and resources so that people of all races, cultures, identities, and socioeconomic status may feel valued and respected.

At Warren Village, we learn and flourish through: Honesty and Transparency; Clear Decision-Making, Continuous Learning and Improvement, Commitment to Repair, Community Building, Inclusivity and Collective Growth and Well-being.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Follows Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) regulations and guidance and manages program billing, including keeping accurate meal and snack counts and quality assurance records.
• Communicates with Food Services Coordinator to ensure adequate supplies/ingredients are available to complete weekly menus.
• Collaborates with Food Services Coordinator to order/purchases all food items and organizes their safe storage, following established regulations for food, freezer, and refrigerator temperatures, monitoring expiration dates, rotating food, and limiting food waste.
• Maintains a sanitary kitchen, cleaning on established schedules (including cleaning, packing, and organizing kitchen equipment).
• Ensures meals are well balanced, meet the dietary needs of children, and are prepared on time.
• Prepares ingredients to use in cooking (chopping and peeling vegetables, cutting meat, etc.)
• Cooks food in various utensils or grillers.  Follows the weekly meal plan and recipes.
• Creates and effectively communicates weekly schedules (and any menu changes) in a timely manner through both paper and digital means (Brightwheel posts) to teachers and parents.  
• Stays aware of all student allergies and proactively plans and prepares nutritionally acceptable and appropriate substitutions as needed.
• Displays a willingness and aptitude to learn Brightwheel software, including using customized reporting features to streamline ROM recording, maintenance, collection, and tracking.
• Other duties as assigned.

Competencies:

• Demonstrated understanding of menu preparation, keeping in mind federal breakfast and lunch guidelines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Applications including Excel, PowerPoint and Word, as well as willingness to learn and utilize Brightwheel software.

Minimum/Required Qualifications:

• High School diploma/GED.
• Ability to clear a TB test.
• First Aid certification (or willingness to become certified).
• At least one year general experience in cooking and other food preparation.
• Safe food hander’s certificate (or ability to acquire one).

Preferred education, knowledge, and/or experience:

• USDA experience.
• Child Care Food Program procedure experience.
• Understand of quantity measurements for large group food prep.

Work Environment: The working environment is typically that of in a commercial kitchen using a stove, refrigerator, garbage disposal, food storage, and other equipment. The employee will be exposed to intense heat and/or refrigeration multiple times during shift.

Physical Demands: While performing these duties, the employee will occasionally be required to lift to 50 lbs. and push or pull heavier items. The work is primarily mobile, requiring the employee to: stand/walk for long periods of time; handle, control, grasp, and assemble objects, tools, and controls, including making precise adjustments; perform repetitive and coordinated movements; bend and twist the body; see details of objects that are less than a few feet away; coordinate movement of several parts of the body, such as arms and legs, while the body is moving.

Salary & Benefits:   Hiring range: $23.00 - $25.00) DOE (Full salary range up to $25.00 for long-tenured staff currently in position or other exceptional circumstances.)