Job Description
Job Description
Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Health/Nutrition Coordinator ensures that the program provides high-quality health, oral health, and nutrition services to all children, including services to children with disabilities, that are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate (HSPPS 1302.40).
The Health/Nutrition Coordinator is responsible for designing and implementing nutritional services that are culturally and developmentally appropriate, meet the nutritional needs of and accommodate the feeding requirements of each child, including children with special dietary needs and children with disabilities. (HSPPS 1302.44).
General
- Shares culturally linguistically and developmentally appropriate, science-informed information regarding health, oral health, and nutritional needs of children, including appropriate information regarding children with disabilities, with families (HSPPS 1302.46 and HSPPS 1302.44).
- Establishes and maintains confidentiality policies and procedures in accordance with HSPPS 1303 Subpart C.
- Educates families about how all aspects of health and nutrition affect children’s learning and school readiness (HSPPS 1302.46).
- Develops and sustains trusting relationships with families to identify and use family strengths when addressing child health concerns, including children with suspected or diagnosed disabilities, and ensure that the program partners with families to promote safe, healthy and nurturing home environments (HSPPS 1302.46).
- Accesses external resources for health and nutritional services to include services for children with disabilities, to include technical assistance providers, health consultants, and state and community agencies. Establishes partnerships with local health care providers to support the health and nutritional needs of children and families (HSPPS 1302.4).
- Reports program level information on the status of health, nutritional and special needs to meet program, federal and state requirements (including the Head Start Program Information Report – PIR). (HSPPS 1303 Subpart C).
- Reports program level information on the status of health, nutritional, and special needs to the Governing Board, the Early Head Start Policy Council (grantee) and the Head Start/Early Head Start (delegate) Policy Committee. (HS Act 642(d)(2))
- Conducts ongoing monitoring to ensure the health and safety, nutritional, and needs of children with disabilities are met and that any needed improvements are implemented as quickly as possible (HSPPS 1302.40; HSPPS 1302.44; HSPPS 1302.61).
- Coordinates the health and nutrition services for children enrolled in the program (HSPPS 1302.40; HSPPS 1302.44)
- Supervises health and nutrition facilitators - offering guidance and support to ensure delivery of services in accordance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards, providing feedback as necessary to include, at a minimum, a formal annual evaluation (HSPPS 1302.92(b)(4).
- Ensures that nutritional and health activities, including oral health, are implemented in the learning activities of children in the classroom once per month.
- Ensures that all materials including food for special needs, first aid supplies, and health and nutritional resources are available through purchase according to the procurement policies of the program (HSPPS 1302.40).
Health
- Knows current pediatric periodicity schedules (EPSTD) and monitors the health database and files to ensure children (birth to five) are receiving the appropriate care (HSPPS 1302.42(b)(i)).
- Trains staff on the importance of healthy oral development (HSSP 1302.43).
- Ensures that families access health insurance for themselves and their children; ensure families have access to continuous and accessible health care (HSPPS 1302.42 (a)).
- Ensures and trains staff on the development of individual health care plans (IHP) for children with special health care needs, in addition to nutrition needs (in collaboration with families and related service providers (HSPPS 1302.42(d)).
- Trains staff on infectious disease control procedures, including basic assessment, initial management and prevention of communicable diseases (HSPPS 1302.47(4)(a)).
- Identifies indoor and outdoor hazards related to common child and adult injuries; ensures that the program addresses such hazards immediately (HSPPS 1302.47(4)(i)(E)).
- Trains and demonstrates to staff appropriate safety measures for the administration of medications (consent, handling, labeling storing, disposing and recognizing possible side effects) (HSPPS 1302.47(4)(i)C).
- Ensures that program staff can provide first aid and CPR and always have access to well-maintained first aid supplies in order to respond to medical and dental emergencies (HSPPS 1302.47(4)(i)(D)).
- Coordinates emergency practice drills (HSPPS 1302.47(4)(7)).
- Ensures and trains staff and inform families about safe sleep practices for infants (HSPPS 1302.47(4)(i)(B).
- Maintains a Health and Safety Committee
- Maintains a Health Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) including families, health professionals, program staff and other community volunteers for the EHS – Expansion program (HSPPS 1302.40(b)).
Nutrition
- Provides and continuously monitors the creation and implementation of special menus in collaboration with the registered dietician, nutrition and health facilitators, teachers and other program staff (HSPPS 1302.44(a)(1).
- Ensures children receive meals and snacks for two-thirds per days of the children’s nutritional needs (depending upon the length of the program day) (HSPPS 1302.44 (a)(2)(ii).
- Ensures that children (3 – 5) have meals and snacks that conform to USDA requirements and are high in nutrients and low in fat, sugar and salt (HSPPS 1302.44(a)(2)(iii)).
- Ensures that infants and toddlers are feed according to their developmental readiness and feeding skills – and ensure infants and toddlers are fed on demand (to the extent possible) (HSPPS 1302.44(a)(2)(iv)).
- Trains staff to ensure bottle-fed infants are never laid down to sleep with a bottle (HSPPS 1302.44(a)(2)(v)).
- Trains staff to serve all children in the morning who have not received breakfast upon arrival at the program a nourishing breakfast (regardless of time of arrival) (HSPPS 1302.44(a)(2)(iv).
- Ensures children have safe drinking water available to children during the day (HSPPS 1302.44(a)(2)(ix).
- Is able to successfully use the USDA Food and Consumer Services Child Nutrition Program (HSPPS 1302.44(b)).
- Supervises USDA site reviews on each meal as required by local program procedures and USDa requirements. (HSPPS 1302.44(b)).
- Monitors the provision of food including the qualifications and standards of the caterer and remedy issues as needed (HSPPS 1302.44(b)).
- Prepares and monitors data to prepare reports for USDA Food and Consumers Sciences Child Nutrition Programs for appropriate reporting and reimbursement procedures (HSPPS 1302.44(b)).
Skills and Knowledge
- Has a working knowledge of the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) and with other federal, state, and local requirements regarding health and safety, including oral health and nutritional services in early care and education (HSPPS 1302.91).
- Possesses knowledge or attend training to acquire the knowledge of public health, nursing, health education, maternal and child health or health administration.
- Thorough knowledge of supervisory principles and practices.
- Excellent communication skills (oral and written).
- Ability to exercise good judgment.
- Dependability.
- Previous experience with Head Start – Early Head Start programs preferred but not required
Qualifications:
- BA or BS degree
- Experience in a health related field
- Strong organization, clerical and computer skills.
Salary: See the most recent salary schedule.
FLSA Status: Exempt
Monday through Friday
40 hours per week