Food Service Worker / Bus Monitor

Summary: The Tri-County Opportunities Council Early Head Start/Head Start Program serves 483 expectant mothers and children ages birth to five in the nine Illinois Counties of Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, Stark, and Whiteside. The program offers comprehensive child and family development services to those deemed eligible. The program’s primary goals are to partner with parents to promote self-esteem, increase self-confidence, and advance school readiness skills for children. Comprehensive programming includes education, medical, dental, mental health, and nutritional services; welcomes children with disabilities or special needs; and provides family education, advancement, and social service support while connecting enrolled families to community resources and transportation assistance. The program offers various options to meet the needs of children, families, and communities throughout all nine counties.

Mission Statement: T.C.O.C. Head Start is committed to taking the leadership role in developing partnerships to build stronger communities. We create and nurture supportive experiences that lead to successful outcomes for children, families, and staff.

Agency Name: Tri-County Opportunities Council

Program Name: Early Head Start/Head Start Program

Job Title: Food Service Worker / Bus Monitor

Reports to: Site Supervisor (indirectly to Nutrition Specialist)

Status: Non-Exempt; Part-Year Employment; 23 hrs./week Food Service and 12 hrs./week Bus Monitor. Hourly wage per job performed.

Educational Requirements: Minimum of high school diploma or GED and excellent driving record. Must have held a valid Illinois driver’s license for a minimum of three (3) consecutive years prior to hire. Must obtain and maintain Illinois Department of Public Health Sanitation Certification within thirty (30) days of hire. Must obtain and maintain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) bus permit within sixty (60) days of hire. Must be at least 21 years of age. Must obtain and maintain certification in First Aid and CPR.

If hired, employees without the required credits/credentialing will be required to sign a professional development plan upon hire with a designated timeline for completion.

Skills/Characteristics/Physical Requirements:
Ability to develop a relationship of trust, respect and non-judgmental attitude when working with agency and program staff, parents and the community at large. Ability to work with individuals from various economic, educational and cultural backgrounds. Must be adaptable, flexible and emotionally mature. Must have excellent personal hygiene. Must have proficient oral and written communication skills. Must have excellent organizational and time management skills. Must have the ability to be self-directed as well as the ability to follow supervisor’s directions. Demonstrated ability to function successfully in a team-based work environment. Must have the ability to travel in the nine county service area for occasional meetings, trainings and other job-related duties. Required to bend, reach overhead, life and carry 40 pounds as well as other physical and mental abilities to supervise and insure the safety of children and perform essential job duties. Must adhere to the agency dress code policy including foot wear required for transporting staff. Must pass a general physician’s health examination, TB test and drug and alcohol testing for both DCFS and the ISBE bus permit prior to employment and every two years thereafter. Annual and random drug and alcohol testing is required of persons employed in this position. Must obtain and maintain certification in First Aid and CPR. Employment in this position is contingent on background check clearance as per the licensing and state standards.

Essential Duties, Functions and Responsibilities:

Policies and Procedures:

Must be knowledgeable of, and adhere and contribute to the program’s full compliance with:

• Head Start/Early Head Start Program Performance Standards, specifically in the areas of nutrition, meal pattern requirements, family style meal service, sanitation and transportation requirements.
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Licensing Standards specifically in the areas of required meal patterns, meal service and sanitation. Also those related to transportation (Section 407.30), the admission and discharge of children (Section 407.18) and the Child Care Act as it relates to child abuse and neglect and the mandated reporting requirements.
• The USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) policies and procedures.
• Tri-County Opportunities Council Personnel Policies and other related agency policies and procedures.
• Tri-County Opportunities Council Head Start/Early Head Start nutrition procedural manual and transportation procedural manual.

Must act in accordance with the grantee agency and the Head Start/Early Head Start program’s mission statements.

Must adhere to the Head Start/Early Head Start program’s Code of Conduct.

Meal Service Responsibilities:

Snack and/or breakfast planning and service:

Direct responsibility for planning all snack and/or breakfast menus as:

• Meals that complement the vendor’s lunch menu.
• Meals that provide the nutritional requirements as per the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
• Meals that comply with all program food and nutrition policies and requirements.

Directly responsible for grocery shopping for breakfast and/or snack items as:

• Shop according to developed grocery list. Determine quantities of food to be purchased based on classroom enrollment and serving sizes per food group.
• Responsible for being organized and shopping only one time per week at the supermarket where charge accounts have been established.
• Insure that vendor and/or purchased food are within established budgetary allowances.

Required to submit all food vendor or supermarket receipts to the Rock Falls main office on Friday of each calendar week.

Prepare breakfast and/or snack daily as per developed menu and in accordance with sanitation requirements.

Serve snack and/or breakfast at assigned times following procedures and sanitation requirements as per the program’s nutrition manual.

Responsible for clean-up after all meal services.

Lunch service responsibilities:

• Pick-up lunches from contracted vendor (dependent on site assignment).
• Insure food is maintained at required temperatures prior to serving.
• Prepare tables for lunch service:
• Count out utensils; dish food into serving dishes as per the family-style meal requirements.
• Clean tables with bleach water as per sanitation requirements.
• Set tables; provide guidance and support in setting tables to those children assigned as lunch helpers for the day.
• Insure lunch is ready to be served at developed times as per the daily schedule.
• Required to sit, supervise and socialize with children one meal per day. Encourage children to try new foods. Facilitate social conversations. Support children in learning and practicing self-help skills.
• Refill serving dishes as needed. Replace dropped utensils and assist children to clean up after themselves.

Direct responsibility for clean-up after lunch service by:

• Dispose of all unused or uneaten food. As per health department requirements and sanitation regulations, food may not be stored and served again or sent home with staff and/or parents.
• Sweep and mop floors.
• Remove trash or garbage and dispose of according to facility procedures.
• Dishwashing responsibilities using three step sanitizing process or in dishwasher if one is located at assigned facility. Air dry dishes and put away in proper storage space.
• Clean tables with bleach water.

Additional Nutrition Responsibilities:

• Keep food service area clean and neat on a daily basis.
• Check refrigerator temperature on a daily basis to insure cooling is within required limits. Clean and sanitize refrigerator/stove at a minimum of one time per month.
• Responsible for regular observations and documentation of compliance and/or issues as per the program’s pest management plan.

Custodial Duties:

These duties may not be required of all food service workers. Depending on site assignments, the food service worker may be required to, as part of their assigned job duties to:

• Clean restrooms used by Head Start/Early Head Start children daily.
• Vacuum, sweep and/or mop floors in the areas of the facility used by the Head Start/Early Head Start program daily.
• Minor custodial duties as may be directed by the assigned by the site supervisor/center director.

Transportation Responsibilities:

Bus Supervision:

• Follow program safety rules, regulations and procedures at all times.
• Be ready at scheduled times; i.e. first person to be picked up and the last person to be dropped off. Pick-up and drop-off locations to be determined by the bus driver. Travel to and from the pick-up and drop-off locations is required.
• At the end of each route, walk the entire length of the bus to insure that no child is left alone on the bus. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in immediate termination of employment.
• Assist the bus driver to schedule and implement regular bus emergency evacuation drills as per program requirements, as requested.
• Use appropriate guidance techniques to supervise and direct children during bus transportation times.
• Insure all children are secured correctly in the safety restraint prior to the bus moving.
• Insure seat belts and/or safety restraint harnesses are tightened and straightened after each route.
• Collaborate with the bus drive to insure all items are properly stored (backpacks, etc.) prior to the bus moving.

Bus driving and Bus Substitution Duties:

• Once permit is obtained, required to drive both the pick-up and the drop-off route(s) one time per month to insure and maintain driving proficiency.
• Required to take over all bus driving duties in the absence of the regular bus driver.

When taking over as the bus driver, required to perform all bus driving safety checks and duties as:

• Pre-trip and post-trip inspections.
• All safety rules and procedures.
• Insure a staff member or volunteer is on the bus to meet the required supervisory ratios.
• Fuel the bus at the end of each day. No children or adults may be on the bus when fueling.
• Insure children are only released to authorized persons.
• Complete daily required paperwork.
• Refrain from cell phone usage at all times when driving and/or supervising. Cell phone use is only permitted in case of a bus emergency.

Recordkeeping and Paperwork:

Nutrition area paperwork and documentation:

• Weekly menus for breakfast, lunch and/or snack.
• Refrigerator and food temperature forms.
• Requisition forms for needed supplies.
• Nutrition supply inventory and annual update to the inventory.
• Development of daily meal times. Submit schedule to the Head Start/Early Head Start Nutrition Specialist.
• Receipts for all purchases. Receipts are to be submitted to the Rock Falls main office on Friday of each week and on the last calendar day of each month.
• Child food allergy documentation, if applicable.
• Pest management documentation.

Transportation Paperwork:

• Gas receipts for fuel purchases when substituting as the bus driver. Receipts are to be submitted to the Rock Falls main office on Friday of each week.
• Pre-trip and post-trip inspections when substituting for the bus driver.

Personal Paperwork:

• Submit personal payroll paperwork as per required schedule.
• Insure all required documentation for personnel file is current.
• Insure Sanitation Certificate is submitted for personnel file and is current at all times.
• Insure a copy of renewed driver’s license and bus permits are submitted to the Transportation Specialist AND the Rock Falls main office at the time of renewal.

Team Participation:

Responsibilities to the Head Start/Early Head Start Site Supervisor, Center Director, Transportation Specialist and Nutrition Specialist:

• Maintain respectful, open and regular communication.
• Complete assignments as directed.

Responsibilities to the Bus Driver:

• Collaborate to determine meeting times and places for the beginning of each regular route.
• Know where all relevant documentation is kept on the bus; i.e. emergency consent forms, attendance sheets, release forms, sign-out book, etc.
• Learn assigned bus route(s). Drive the bus a minimum of one time per month. (Bus driver will assume bus monitor duties on those days.)
• Learn and implement all bus safety rules and regulations.
• Cooperate with bus driver to insure the consistency of child guidance techniques.
• Maintain open, regular and respectful communication.

Responsibilities to the Site Team:

• Cooperate with site team and the Registered Dietician (RD/RN) to insure special food requirements for individual children with food allergies and/or need for a special diet based on religious, health or cultural values are met.
• Collaborate with teaching staff to plan, schedule and facilitate one cooking or nutrition-related activity per month.
• Participate in center team meetings as per developed schedule.
• Communicate with staff on a daily basis regarding concerns or issues in the nutrition, sanitation or child feeding areas.
• Contribute relevant information to the center newsletter.
• Assist in insuring each child has a dated and signed note after being absent.
• Communicate with teaching staff on a daily basis to report any relevant information from parents or report issues related to child behavior on the bus.
• Cooperate with the bus driver and the teaching staff to schedule and facilitate Pedestrian Safety training within the first thirty (30) days of the new school year. Assist bus driver in insuring Pedestrian Safety training packets are given to all parents who do not attend the training or to the parents of children that are added later in the year.
• Assist teaching staff and bus drivers with parent reminders such as parent meeting dates and other paperwork, as requested.
• Plan bus route activities and experiences that extend the classroom curriculum.
• Adhere to special transportation procedures and requirements for children with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Health Plan (IHP).
• Maintain open, regular and respectful communication.

Responsibilities to the T.C.O.C. Head Start/Early Head Start team:

• Work cooperatively with all program staff to identify and document sources of
• non-Federal revenue.

Program Planning and Evaluation:

• Serve as a member of the program’s self-assessment team, if invited.
• Work cooperatively with grantee staff, program staff, Board members and Policy Council members to develop and implement short-term goals and objectives as per the annual self-assessment process and to develop and implement long-range goals as per the Head Start/Early Head Start strategic plan.

Confidentiality:

• The person filling this position must abide by the program’s confidentiality policy regarding child, family, staff and/or agency matters.

Benefits:

• Dental Insurance (Must work 20 hours/per week)
• Vision Insurance (Must work 20 hours/per week)
• Life Insurance (Must work 20 hours/per week)
• Health Insurance – 2 Plans (Must work 30 hours/per week)
• Partially Paid Family Medical Leave
• Bereavement Leave
• Sick Time
• Paid Time Off
• Retirement Savings Plan
• Career Advancement Opportunities

For current staff applying for a different position, the wage is base pay (based on current qualifications) plus 1% for each year of previous agency employment.

Tri-County Opportunities Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provider. Applications from women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $15.50 - $16.34 per hour

Expected hours: 35 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid sick time
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)
• Food Handler Certification (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Lacon, IL 61540 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $16 - $16