Family Forum Headstart Cook

About This Role

🌟 Nourish Young Minds at Center 10 - Phillips! Join Family Forum, Inc. as our new Cook 🌟

Are you passionate about preparing great food and supporting early childhood wellness? We are looking for an energetic Cook to join our team at Center 10 - Phillips!

Our mission at Family Forum, Inc. is to prepare children and their families for success through high-quality programming, family support, and wellness education. If you value Relationships, Empowerment, Trust, and Safety, this is the perfect kitchen for you!

The Schedule Advantage

This is a fantastic 9-month, Full-Time (30 hours/week) position tailored for professionals who want to make a daily difference but also value their downtime!

• Start Date: Expected start - August 17th.
• Consistent Hours: Enjoy a steady 30-hour work week that gives you plenty of time for yourself while qualifying as full-time status.
• Summers Off: Enjoy a planned, seasonal layoff between June and August to relax, travel, or spend time with family.

You will work primarily in the warm, busy, and vibrant kitchen area within our Phillips Head Start center.

This active role frequently requires standing, walking, bending, grasping, and manually handling kitchen tools.

You must be comfortable lifting and carrying food items and supplies weighing up to 50 lbs.

• Speaking and communicating with staff and vendors is a constant requirement to ensure food safety and coordination.

What You'll Do

Prepare nutritious family-style meals using cycle menus for students and employees, following dietary guidelines for Americans.

Deliver and serve meals directly to the classroom Center 10, and occasionally sit with the children during mealtime to promote wellness.

Review engaging menus that celebrate and feature seasonal themes.

Purchase fresh groceries and seasonal ingredients using agency-approved vendors, and order necessary kitchen supplies.

Maintain a clean and sanitized kitchen area, including dishes, counters, and food storage spaces.

Assist families in meeting nutritional needs and establishing healthy, life-long eating habits.

Maintain records, accounts, and complete data entry while carefully implementing Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) guidelines.

Requirements

Education: High School Graduate or GED

Experience: At least six months of experience working in a commercial kitchen or restaurant.

Certificates: A current driver’s license, Infant/Pediatric CPR certification, and four hours of specific training in nutrition, meal preparation, food handling, and sanitization.

Skills: Strong communication skills, the ability to support team goals, and working knowledge of Microsoft SharePoint.

Compliance: Must maintain up-to-date OSHA, Civil Rights, Mandated Reporter, and Abusive Head Trauma certifications.

Nice To Haves

Prior CACFP Experience: Familiarity with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) guidelines and record-keeping.

Early Childhood Environment Experience: Previous experience cooking in a school, childcare center, or specifically preparing meals for young children.

Specialized Dietary Knowledge: Experience managing food allergies, diverse cultural diets, and creating nutritionally acceptable substitutions.

Inventory & Ordering Skills: Proven experience with grocery purchasing, working with approved food vendors, and planning cycle menus.

Bilingual Skills: The ability to communicate in a second language is often a wonderful bonus in community-focused family centers.

Benefits

• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Paid Leave
• Sick Leave
• Retirement Plan
• Professional Development

• Critical Illness

  Short Term Disability

  Accident Insurance

  
  

  Paid Life Insurance

About Us

Family Forum, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation that provides programs for families in Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Iron, and Price Counties of Wisconsin. The corporation is made up of a Governing Board who manage the affairs of the corporation through the Executive Director. The programs provided by Family Forum, Inc. are Head Start / Early Head Start.

Mission Statement

We are dedicated to preparing children and their families for success; through high quality programming, family support and wellness education, while fostering meaningful relationships.

Our Vision

Partnering with families and communities to build school readiness for all children through passionately committed relationships that connect families to goal oriented outcomes.