Daycare Cook and Center Cleaning Specialist

Maxines Daycare; Alton (IL); On-site; USD 19,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Employee discounts

Opportunity for advancement

Paid time off

Training & development

Job summary

Maxine’s Daycare & Learning Center provides a safe, nurturing environment where children can learn, grow, and feel at home. We are seeking a dependable, organized Daycare Cook and Center Cleaning Specialist to prepare healthy meals and maintain the cleanliness of the center.

The candidate must have an Illinois CFPM certification and CACFP experience, with strong time-management and the ability to switch between cooking and cleaning tasks while ensuring safety around children.

Qualifications

• A current Illinois-recognized CFPM certification is required.
• Copy of the certificate must be provided before starting.
• Experience in daycare, school meals, or institutional kitchens preferred.
• Experience with CACFP or another federal nutrition program preferred.
• Must follow menus, recipes, cleaning schedules, and written instructions.
• Must pass background checks and meet Illinois DCFS requirements.
• Dependable, punctual, organized, and able to work independently.
• Comfortable working around young children and communicating professionally.
• Must be able to stand for extended periods and lift/move supplies.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve breakfast, lunch, and snacks according to CACFP and schedule.
• Develop menus meeting CACFP meal-pattern and nutritional requirements.
• Prepare delicious, healthy, balanced, child-friendly meals.
• Follow portion sizes for each age group.
• Follow plans for food allergies, medical diets, and substitutions.
• Complete menus, production records, meal counts, and temperature logs.
• Measure and document amounts of food prepared and served.
• Follow food-safety, sanitation, and cross-contamination prevention procedures.
• Monitor and record temperatures of refrigerators, freezers, and cooking equipment.
• Receive deliveries and inspect for quality and proper temperatures.
• Maintain an accurate kitchen inventory and notify when supplies are needed.
• Label, date, rotate, and store food using FIFO.
• Wash and sanitize dishes, cookware, and surfaces; keep kitchen ready for inspections.
• Complete required daily/weekly cleaning checklists and safety protocols.

Skills

Cooking

Food safety

Time management

Child communication

Education

Illinois CFPM certification

Job description

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Employee discounts
• Opportunity for advancement
• Paid time off
• Training & development

About Us

Maxine’s Daycare & Learning Center provides a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment where children can learn, grow, and feel at home. Our center serves children from infancy through school age and offers daytime and evening care to support working families. We are committed to providing children with delicious, nutritious meals while maintaining a clean, healthy, and welcoming environment.

Position Summary

We are seeking a dependable, organized, and experienced individual to serve as our Daycare Cook and Center Cleaning Specialist. This is a dual position responsible for preparing healthy meals and snacks for children while maintaining the cleanliness and sanitation of the center.

Our center participates in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program, also known as CACFP. The employee must ensure that menus, meals, portions, food preparation, and required records meet CACFP guidelines and applicable Illinois requirements.

The ideal candidate will be able to manage time effectively, work independently, follow a daily schedule, and transition safely between food preparation and cleaning responsibilities.

Cooking and Food Program Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks according to the center’s schedule.
• Develop and follow menus that meet CACFP meal-pattern and nutritional requirements.
• Prepare delicious, healthy, balanced, and child-friendly meals.
• Follow required portion sizes for each participating age group.
• Follow approved plans for food allergies, medical diets, and meal substitutions.
• Complete menus, food-production records, meal counts, temperature logs, substitutions, and other required food-program documentation.
• Measure and document the amount of food prepared, served, and left over.
• Follow all food-safety, sanitation, handwashing, and cross-contamination-prevention procedures.
• Monitor and record refrigerator, freezer, cooking, and food-holding temperatures.
• Receive food deliveries and inspect products for quality, expiration dates, damage, and proper temperatures.
• Maintain an accurate food and kitchen-supply inventory.
• Notify management when food, paper products, cleaning supplies, or kitchen items need to be ordered.
• Label, date, rotate, and store food properly using first-in, first-out procedures.
• Wash and sanitize dishes, cookware, utensils, food equipment, countertops, sinks, and other kitchen surfaces.
• Keep the kitchen prepared for health department, DCFS, CACFP, and other monitoring visits.

Center Cleaning Responsibilities

• Clean and sanitize assigned classrooms, classroom bathrooms, staff bathrooms, hallways, and common areas.
• Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors according to the daily cleaning schedule.
• Clean and disinfect classroom tables, chairs, shelves, sinks, doors, and other high-touch surfaces.
• Empty trash containers and replace liners.
• Clean toilets, sinks, mirrors, changing areas, and bathroom fixtures.
• Restock toilet paper, paper towels, soap, gloves, and other sanitation supplies.
• Clean and sanitize the kitchen after each meal and snack preparation period.
• Inspect the refrigerator and freezer weekly, check expiration dates, remove expired items, and clean and sanitize the interior.
• Clean the inside of the oven and other appliances according to the scheduled deep-cleaning plan.
• Complete required daily and weekly cleaning checklists.
• Report maintenance problems, damaged equipment, sanitation concerns, low supplies, or signs of pests to management immediately.
• Follow all instructions regarding the safe use, labeling, storage, and handling of cleaning chemicals.
• Keep cleaning products locked and inaccessible to children.
• Follow proper sanitation procedures when transitioning between bathroom cleaning, trash removal, and food preparation.

Required Qualifications

• A current Illinois-recognized Certified Food Protection Manager certification is required.
• Must provide a copy of the current certificate before beginning employment.
• Previous professional cooking, food-service, school-meal, daycare, or institutional-kitchen experience is preferred.
• Experience with CACFP or another federal nutrition program is strongly preferred.
• Previous professional cleaning or custodial experience is preferred.
• Must understand food safety, sanitation, temperature control, portion sizes, allergy procedures, and cross-contamination prevention.
• Must be able to follow menus, recipes, cleaning schedules, checklists, and written instructions.
• Must complete required records accurately and on time.
• Must pass all required background checks and meet applicable Illinois DCFS personnel requirements.
• Must be dependable, punctual, organized, professional, and able to work independently.
• Must be comfortable working around young children and communicating professionally with staff and management.
• Must be able to stand for extended periods and safely bend, lift, carry, push, and move food containers, kitchen supplies, trash, and cleaning equipment.

Important Position Expectations

Food preparation, food safety, and scheduled meal service are the first priorities of this position. Cleaning duties must be completed around the meal schedule and may not interfere with safe food preparation.

The employee must follow proper handwashing, glove-changing, clothing-protection, and sanitation procedures when transitioning from cleaning duties to food preparation.

Maxine’s Daycare & Learning Center is an equal opportunity employer.