Impact Kidz Academy is a licensed childcare center and preschool serving children from infancy through school age. We are committed to providing children with a safe, nurturing, engaging environment where they can learn, grow, and develop healthy habits.We are seeking a dependable, organized, and child-friendly Nutrition Assistant/Cook to help provide nutritious meals and maintain a clean, welcoming environment throughout our center.This position is ideal for someone who enjoys cooking, takes pride in keeping spaces clean and organized, and wants to make a positive impact in the lives of young children.
Position Overview
The Nutrition Assistant/Cook is responsible for planning, preparing, and serving nutritious meals and snacks that meet Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) requirements.This person will maintain a clean, sanitary, and organized kitchen while assisting with food purchasing, inventory, meal documentation, and menu planning.This role also includes daily cleaning and disinfecting of designated public areas, including hallways and restrooms.Our Nutrition Assistant/Cook is more than someone who prepares food. This team member will help make mealtimes positive, educational, and enjoyable by interacting warmly with children, introducing them to new foods, and encouraging healthy eating habits without pressuring children to eat.
Schedule
This is a full-time, year-round position scheduled:
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The consistent daytime schedule makes this an excellent opportunity for a parent of school-age children or someone seeking dependable weekday hours without regular evening or weekend shifts.
Occasional schedule adjustments may be needed for required training, special events, or other operational needs.
Primary Responsibilities
Meal Planning and Food Preparation
- Plan weekly menus that meet CACFP meal-pattern requirements and the nutritional needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children.
- Prepare and cook breakfast, lunch, and snacks according to the center’s daily schedule.
- Adjust food preparation, portions, and textures to meet the developmental needs of different age groups.
- Prepare meals that are nutritious, appealing, cost-effective, and realistic for a childcare setting.
- Follow approved recipes, portion sizes, and food-service procedures.
- Make approved meal substitutions when necessary and accurately document those substitutions.
- Post or provide weekly menus according to center procedures.
- Coordinate with center leadership regarding enrollment, attendance, special events, field trips, and changes that may affect meal counts.
- Help develop opportunities for children to experience a variety of foods, flavors, textures, and culturally diverse meals.
CACFP Documentation and Compliance
- Follow CACFP meal-pattern, portioning, menu-planning, and recordkeeping requirements.
- Maintain accurate meal-production records, food-purchase documentation, menus, meal counts, and other required nutrition records.
- Participate in CACFP training and remain current on applicable program requirements.
- Assist center leadership with CACFP reviews, monitoring visits, documentation requests, and corrective actions when applicable.
- Ensure meals and snacks are prepared and served in accordance with childcare licensing, food-safety, sanitation, and program requirements.
- Communicate promptly with leadership regarding missing records, supply concerns, menu changes, or potential compliance issues.
Food Safety and Allergy Management
- Follow all food-safety requirements for receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, transporting, and serving food.
- Maintain safe refrigerator, freezer, hot-food, and cold-food temperatures.
- Label, date, rotate, and properly store food using appropriate food-storage practices.
- Prevent cross-contamination and follow safe procedures for raw and ready-to-eat foods.
- Follow handwashing, glove-use, sanitizing, and personal-hygiene requirements.
- Maintain current awareness of children’s food allergies, dietary restrictions, medical meal modifications, and approved substitutions.
- Carefully follow each child’s allergy or dietary plan and prevent exposure to known allergens.
- Immediately report any suspected food contamination, allergic reaction, unsafe condition, or foodborne illness concern.
- Keep food, utensils, chemicals, cleaning products, sharp objects, and kitchen equipment inaccessible to children.
Kitchen Cleaning and Organization
- Clean and sanitize food-preparation surfaces before and after use.
- Wash, rinse, sanitize, and air-dry dishes, utensils, cookware, food-service equipment, and other food-contact items.
- Clean and sanitize meal carts, serving containers, tables, kitchen equipment, sinks, and appliances.
- Sweep and mop kitchen floors and address spills promptly.
- Empty trash and maintain clean waste-disposal areas.
- Keep refrigerators, freezers, cabinets, shelves, storage areas, and pantry spaces clean and organized.
- Monitor food dates and rotate inventory using first-in, first-out practices.
- Maintain a kitchen that is inspection-ready throughout the day.
- Complete assigned daily, weekly, and monthly kitchen-cleaning tasks.
South Dakota childcare licensing requirements include washing, rinsing, and sanitizing food-contact equipment, utensils, kitchenware, dining tables, and food-contact surfaces after meals, as well as maintaining clean food-preparation and storage areas.
Public-Area Cleaning and Facility Support
- Clean and disinfect designated public restrooms each day and as needed throughout the day.
- Clean toilets, sinks, faucets, mirrors, counters, dispensers, door handles, floors, and other frequently touched surfaces.
- Restock restroom supplies, including soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and waste liners.
- Sweep, mop, vacuum, and spot-clean designated hallways and common areas.
- Clean doors, entry areas, baseboards, windows, and high-touch surfaces according to the center’s cleaning schedule.
- Respond promptly to spills, messes, odors, and sanitation concerns.
- Follow required procedures for safely using, labeling, storing, and securing cleaning and disinfecting products.
- Notify leadership of maintenance concerns, damaged equipment, plumbing issues, pest concerns, or safety hazards.
- Assist with occasional deep-cleaning, organizing, and center-wide cleaning projects.
Child Engagement and Positive Mealtime Experiences
- Interact with children in a warm, respectful, and developmentally appropriate manner.
- Help make food and mealtimes interesting, positive, and enjoyable.
- Introduce children to new foods and encourage them to explore different tastes, colors, smells, and textures.
- Use positive language when discussing food and healthy choices.
- Encourage children to try foods without forcing, bribing, shaming, or pressuring them to eat.
- Support classroom teachers in creating calm and pleasant family-style meal experiences.
- Participate in occasional nutrition activities, taste tests, cooking demonstrations, gardening projects, or food-themed learning experiences.
- Model healthy eating habits, good table manners, cleanliness, and respect for food.
- Respect children’s individual preferences, developmental abilities, cultural backgrounds, and dietary needs.
Children at Impact Kidz Academy are encouraged to self-feed when developmentally appropriate and to try a variety of foods without being forced to eat.
Inventory and Purchasing
- Monitor food, paper products, cleaning supplies, and kitchen inventory.
- Prepare accurate shopping and supply lists.
- Assist with ordering or purchasing food and kitchen supplies from approved vendors.
- Receive deliveries and verify that items are correct, undamaged, and maintained at safe temperatures.
- Store deliveries promptly and properly.
- Help control food costs by reducing waste, using ingredients efficiently, and planning practical menus.
- Notify leadership in advance when equipment, food, or supplies need to be replaced or reordered.
Teamwork and Professional Responsibilities
- Communicate professionally with center leadership, teachers, families, vendors, and other team members.
- Coordinate with classroom teams regarding meal delivery, serving times, allergy precautions, and special dietary needs.
- Maintain confidentiality regarding children, families, and team members.
- Follow Impact Kidz Academy policies, procedures, dress expectations, and professional standards.
- Attend required meetings, orientation, food-safety training, CACFP training, and other assigned professional development.
- Complete assigned documentation accurately and on time.
- Be willing to assist with reasonable duties that support the safety, cleanliness, and daily operation of the center.
- Maintain dependable attendance and arrive prepared to begin work at the scheduled time.
Required:
- Must be at least 18 years old.
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Ability to pass all childcare licensing and employment background-screening requirements before beginning work.
- Ability to obtain and maintain required food-handler or food-safety certification.
- Knowledge of basic cooking, sanitation, cleaning, and kitchen-safety practices.
- Ability to follow recipes, menus, portioning instructions, allergy plans, and written procedures.
- Ability to maintain accurate records and complete required documentation.
- Ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and follow a daily production and cleaning schedule.
- Ability to communicate respectfully and positively with young children and adults.
- Dependable, organized, detail-oriented, and able to respond appropriately in a busy childcare environment.
South Dakota licensed childcare programs require applicable employees to complete comprehensive background screening and receive employment eligibility before working in the program.
Preferred:
- Previous experience cooking in a childcare center, school, healthcare facility, senior-living facility, restaurant, cafeteria, or institutional kitchen.
- Experience planning or preparing meals under CACFP, school nutrition, Head Start, or another regulated meal program.
- Knowledge of food allergies, special diets, infant feeding, and age-appropriate food preparation.
- Experience with large-batch cooking and preparing meals for groups.
- Experience with commercial kitchen equipment.
- Experience cleaning and disinfecting restrooms, hallways, kitchens, or other public facilities.
- ServSafe certification or a similar food-safety credential.
- Interest in nutrition education, child development, gardening, cooking activities, or helping children develop healthy relationships with food.
Physical Requirements
The Nutrition Assistant/Cook must be able to:
- Stand and walk for extended periods.
- Bend, reach, twist, squat, kneel, and move throughout the kitchen and center.
- Safely lift, carry, push, or pull up to 40 pounds.
- Move food containers, supply boxes, meal carts, cleaning equipment, and small appliances.
- Safely work around ovens, stovetops, hot surfaces, sharp utensils, cleaning chemicals, and commercial kitchen equipment.
- Perform repetitive food-preparation, dishwashing, cleaning, and sanitation tasks.
- Work in environments that may include heat, steam, food odors, cleaning-product odors, and temperature changes.
- Respond promptly to spills, sanitation needs, deliveries, and changing meal-service demands.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
Compensation and Benefits
- Competitive hourly pay based on experience and qualifications.
- Consistent Monday-through-Friday schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- No regularly scheduled evening or weekend shifts.
- Paid training and professional-development opportunities.
- Discounted childcare available for eligible employees.
- Access to designated childcare spaces for employees’ children, subject to Impact Kidz Academy’s employee childcare policies.
- Paid time off, paid holidays
What We Are Looking For
The ideal candidate will:
- Take pride in serving nutritious and appealing food.
- Understand that cleanliness and sanitation are essential to children’s health and safety.
- Be reliable enough for a position that directly affects the center’s daily operations.
- Enjoy interacting with children and helping them develop positive experiences with food.
- Notice what needs to be done and take initiative.
- Maintain high standards even when working independently.
- Balance efficiency, food quality, cleanliness, documentation, and cost awareness.
- Contribute to a supportive, respectful, and team-oriented workplace.
Why Join Impact Kidz Academy?
At Impact Kidz Academy, food is an important part of children’s care, learning, health, and daily experience.
The Nutrition Assistant/Cook has an opportunity to influence how children think about food, introduce them to new experiences, and help create a clean and welcoming center for children, families, and team members.
This role also offers a predictable, family-friendly schedule that closely aligns with traditional school hours. It may be especially appealing to a parent with school-age children who wants meaningful, consistent weekday work while remaining available during most evenings and weekends.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Impact Kidz Academy is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and organizational needs without discrimination based on any status protected by applicable law.
Pay: $15.00 - $18.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Paid training
Application Question(s):
- Are you at least 18 years old and able to pass all required background checks and meet state childcare licensing requirements?
- This position requires that you're available consistently every week day (Monday-Friday) from 8:00AM until 2:00PM. What hours are you available to work?
- Do you hold any food safety certifications (e.g. ServSafe)?
- How many workdays did you miss at your most recent job in the past 6 months?
- This role includes occasionally assisting in classrooms with children. Are you comfortable supporting in a classroom environment?
- What does encouraging healthy eating in young children mean to you?
- Are you comfortable preparing breakfast, lunch, and snacks for approximately 40–60 children each day?
Experience:
- food service: 1 year (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
