Student Nutrition Assistant

Impact Kidz Academy • Rapid City, SD

6h • Onsite

About The Position

Impact Kidz Academy is seeking a dependable, organized, and child-friendly Nutrition Assistant/Cook for its licensed childcare center and preschool in Rapid City, South Dakota. The role plans, prepares, and serves nutritious meals and snacks that meet Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) requirements and the needs of children from infancy through school age. The assistant maintains a sanitary, organized, and inspection-ready kitchen; supports food purchasing, inventory, documentation, and menu planning; and cleans and disinfects designated public areas, including hallways and restrooms. The role also helps create positive, educational mealtimes by interacting warmly with children, introducing new foods, and encouraging healthy eating without pressuring children to eat.

This is a year-round position scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Occasional schedule adjustments may be needed for required training, special events, or operational needs. There are no regularly scheduled evening or weekend shifts.

Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years old.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Must be able to pass 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.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods; bend, reach, twist, squat, kneel, and move throughout the kitchen and center.
• Ability to safely lift, carry, push, or pull up to 40 pounds and move food containers, supply boxes, meal carts, cleaning equipment, and small appliances.
• Ability to work safely around ovens, stovetops, hot surfaces, sharp utensils, cleaning chemicals, and commercial kitchen equipment.
• Ability to perform repetitive food-preparation, dishwashing, cleaning, and sanitation tasks and respond promptly to spills, deliveries, and changing meal-service demands.

Nice To Haves

• Previous cooking experience 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.

Responsibilities

• 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 schedule, adjusting portions and textures for different developmental needs.
• Follow recipes, portion sizes, food-service procedures, and approved meal substitutions; document substitutions and provide or post weekly menus.
• Coordinate meal counts and schedule changes with center leadership, including enrollment, attendance, special events, and field trips.
• Maintain CACFP meal-production records, food-purchase documentation, menus, meal counts, and other required nutrition records; participate in training and support reviews, monitoring visits, and corrective actions as applicable.
• Prepare and serve meals and snacks in compliance with childcare licensing, food-safety, sanitation, and program requirements; communicate missing records, supply concerns, menu changes, and potential compliance issues to leadership.
• Receive, store, prepare, cook, hold, transport, and serve food safely; monitor temperatures, label and rotate stock, prevent cross-contamination, and follow hygiene and sanitation procedures.
• Follow children’s allergy, dietary-restriction, medical-meal, and approved-substitution plans, prevent exposure to known allergens, and promptly report suspected contamination, allergic reactions, unsafe conditions, or foodborne-illness concerns.
• Keep food, utensils, chemicals, cleaning products, sharp objects, and kitchen equipment inaccessible to children.
• Clean and sanitize food-preparation surfaces, dishes, utensils, cookware, equipment, meal carts, serving containers, tables, sinks, and appliances; sweep and mop floors, empty trash, and keep the kitchen organized and inspection-ready.
• Complete assigned daily, weekly, and monthly kitchen-cleaning tasks; maintain clean storage areas and rotate food using first-in, first-out practices.
• Clean and disinfect designated public restrooms and restock supplies; clean designated hallways and common areas, respond to spills and sanitation concerns, and follow safe procedures for cleaning products.
• Notify leadership of maintenance concerns, damaged equipment, plumbing issues, pest concerns, and safety hazards; assist with occasional deep-cleaning and center-wide projects.
• Interact with children warmly and respectfully, introduce a variety of foods, model healthy habits and table manners, and encourage exploration without forcing, bribing, shaming, or pressuring children to eat.
• Support calm, pleasant family-style meals and participate in occasional nutrition activities, taste tests, cooking demonstrations, gardening projects, or food-themed learning experiences.
• Monitor food, paper products, cleaning supplies, and kitchen inventory; prepare supply lists, assist with approved purchasing, receive and verify deliveries, store items properly, reduce waste, and alert leadership when supplies or equipment need replacement or reordering.
• Communicate professionally and coordinate with leadership, teachers, families, vendors, and team members about meal service, allergies, and dietary needs; maintain confidentiality and follow center policies and professional standards.
• Attend required meetings, orientation, food-safety and CACFP training, and other assigned professional development; complete documentation accurately and on time.
• Maintain dependable attendance, arrive ready to work at the scheduled time, and assist with reasonable duties that support the center’s safety, cleanliness, and daily operation.

Benefits

• Competitive hourly pay based on experience and qualifications.
• Paid training and professional-development opportunities.
• Discounted childcare available for eligible employees.
• Access to designated childcare spaces for employees’ children, subject to the center’s employee childcare policies.
• Paid time off.
• Paid holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED