Cook I Barrack Heights Community Preschool

• Permanent, part-time
• 27 hours per week
• Monday to Friday; 4 days @ 5.5 hours 1 day @ 5hours

Working at Big Fat Smile, there’s a lot to smile about. The trust you’ll be given in exchange for your expertise. The freedom you’ll be given to use your judgement, adapt learning approaches, and bring creativity and playfulness to a child’s day. And the beautiful relationships you’ll form with peers, children, and families – through shared experiences that are as rich as they are rewarding.

There are lots of reasons why a role with us is rewarding

• Due to our size, there are big opportunities for those who want to go further. You’ll find meaningful career paths with opportunities for further development and promotions across our centres and head office.

• Professional learning and growth are at the heart of everything we do, from learning more about infant-toddler pedagogy, trauma responsive practice, cultural immersion and truth telling, to leadership through a neuroscience lens – these are some of the things our people have benefited from.

• Support to further your studies, such as scholarships, time off floor for coursework, study leave, paid prac and more.

• Save money with our Perks Hub which has great deals and discounts from over 500 major retailers and the biggest brands, including groceries, cinema tickets, clothing, homewares, tech, travel and more.

• Access to our Wellness Hub which has a wealth of curated content focused on your wellbeing, plus monthly health and wellbeing webinars, free flu vaccinations and more.

• A holistic approach to your wellbeing with our employee assistance program, including counselling, First Nations clinicians, health assessments, financial and legal support, and a dedicated manager hotline.

• Save with a 60% discount on early learning and care and out of school hours care services.

• Focus on what matters most because you have support from head office specialists and expertise, such as safeguarding, inclusion professionals, and pedagogy and practice specialists.

Right now, we’re looking for a Cook for our Barrack Heights Community Preschool – an ‘Exceeding NQS’ rated service in Barrack Heights. Our centre has an abundance of indoor and outdoor space that enables children to have access to a curriculum that promotes the wellbeing and development of the whole child. We also focus on sustainability and teaching the children how to nurture and respect their environments.

Our location near the local shopping centre, library, community garden and Blackbutt Forest allows us to develop and foster connections with the community. We also provide a Transition to School Program for all children going to school the following year, run by a university-trained Early Childhood Teacher. We support the needs of the children to ensure they are prepared for big school by nurturing their social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive development.

As the Cook, you will prepare healthy, yummy food for children aged 0-5. You'll have the freedom to adapt a menu that caters to the children's pallets while providing nutritious and healthy meals aligned with the recommendations from the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

What your work will involve

• Provide healthy food that supports children's growth and development
• Menu Planning
• Safe Food Handling and Hygiene Practices

What you need to succeed

• Commitment to making sure the children in our care are safe and healthy
• Dedication to improving the lives and minds of children, families, and the community
• A fun-loving attitude and big smile!

Our commitment to safeguarding children

Safeguarding children is at the heart of every decision, policy and practice at Big Fat Smile. And we have a zero tolerance towards child abuse, harm and neglect.

This starts with ensuring the people we select to work here will contribute to our child safe culture. So during the recruitment process we conduct a range of pre-employment checks. To assist us with this, you will need:

• A cleared valid for paid work, NSW working with Children’s Check (WWCC)
• A cleared National Criminal Record Check
• Demonstrated commitment to protecting all children from abuse, harm and neglect.
• Demonstrated commitment to cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
• Evidence of completion of the National Child Safety Training Foundation Course
• Details of a minimum two referees, where one must be a manager or supervisor at your current or most recent workplace.

How to apply

Please send us:

• A copy of your resume

• A brief cover letter that outlines why you are a good fit for the role

At Big Fat Smile we are deeply committed to Reconciliation and encourage Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to apply.

Big smiles and bigger opportunities

We’re Big Fat Smile. A not-for-profit that plays a pivotal role in the lives of thousands of children and families across Australia. We’re early education enthusiasts, with 40+ community preschools, long day care and out of school hours care centres, and a variety of community and inclusion programs. Each one dedicated to giving every child the best start in life. And each well-respected for the work it does.

Join us and you’ll be smiling too, when you make more of a difference.

Safeguarding children is embedded in all we do. Through our Child Safe Framework and Values, we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children entrusted to our care.