COOK, NA-4

Child And Youth Programs Cook

The purpose of the Child and Youth Programs (CYP) Cook position is to perform a variety of simple cooking tasks in a Child Development Center (CDC) or a School Age Care (SAC) Program. The CYP Cook performs a full range of simple cooking tasks by preparing and cooking items requiring little or no processing such as pancakes, sausage, eggs, hamburgers, and fresh or canned vegetables. Prepares all forms of hot cereals; broils meats; prepares and cooks concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, and gravies; and makes cold sandwich fillings. Prepares convenience items such as frozen hash browns, fish fillets, and chicken nuggets. May prepare and bake pizza. Assists in food preparation with tasks such as peeling potatoes; cutting, sorting, and washing vegetables and fruits; assembling sandwiches; and measuring and weighing ingredients. Prepares foods by chopping, grinding, paring, cutting, slicing, dicing, pureeing, dredging, flouring, and breading. Weighs, measures, and dispenses foods in accordance with portion controls. Mixes ingredients precisely according to written recipes. Required to observe particular health related practices to provide reasonable accommodations for participants with special needs when applicable. 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. Pre-rinses and washes pots, pans, dishes, glasses, and silverware in either a mechanical dishwasher or manually according to sanitation regulations. Cleans serving carts, food preparation areas, cupboards, drawers, and dishwashing areas. Sets up and operates a mechanical dishwasher. Removes inspection doors, strainer pans, screens, and spray arms for preventative maintenance and cleaning. Scrapes, soaks, scour, and scrubs the heavier cooking utensils such as mixing bowls and pots which, because of their large size and weight, are awkward to handle. Performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks through the food service and related areas, such as cleaning ceilings; cleaning exhaust hoods; cleaning spaces under and behind kitchen equipment, including moving the equipment; washing floors and walls with powered cleaning equipment; cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers; and sanitizing garbage room. Maintains work area in a clean and orderly manner, adhering to all local policies and procedures. Operates, breaks down, and cleans all electrical equipment assigned to the area for food preparation. Stores sanitized dishes and silverware. Moves heavy garbage cans when collecting and transferring trash from the work area to the disposal area. Stores canned, boxed, and/or frozen items in food storage area. Labels and dates all items in refrigerators and freezers and stores leftovers in accordance with sanitation and health standards. Maintains accurate food inventories and rotates stock items to prevent spoilage. Unloads food and supplies from delivery trucks. Responsible for complying with security, fire and sanitation rules, policies, procedures, and regulations. Ensures compliance with U.S. Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program and all pertaining standards, policies, and regulations. Serves as a mandatory reporter to Family Advocacy and Child Protective Services as prescribed by local policy in the case of suspected incidences of child abuse and neglect. Provides World Class Customer Service with an emphasis on courtesy. Takes action to solve problems quickly. Alerts the higher-level supervisor or proper point of contact for help when problems arise. Adheres to safety regulations and standards. Promptly reports any observed workplace hazards, any injury, occupational illness, and/or property damage resulting from workplace mishaps to the immediate supervisor. Adheres to established standards of actively supporting the principles of the Equal Employment Opportunity program and prevention of sexual harassment. Responsible for the proper use and cleaning of equipment, safety practices, personal hygiene, and conformance with sanitation requirements. Detailed instructions are provided on new or more difficult work. Work is evaluated in terms of quality of food cooked and adherence to instructions and time schedules. Performs other duties as assigned. Work requires continual standing walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing and pulling, and bending. Lifts and carries objects up to 45 lbs independently and objects over 45 lbs with assistance. Kitchens are often warm and noisy. Exposed to steam, fumes, odors, danger of falling, burns, and cuts. Exposed to extremes in temperatures when entering walk-in refrigerators from the warm kitchen.