Food Service Assistant

American Paradigm Schools

8101 Castor Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19152

Discovering Excellence Through Cultivating Differences

American Paradigm Schools are dedicated to equity and excellence for all learners, while celebrating the uniqueness of our communities. Our values drive our dedication to providing a world class education.

Position: Food Service Assistant

Position type: Full Time

Position location (School): First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School

Department: Food Services

Reports to: Director of Operations

Employment status: non-exempt

Employment duration: 10 months

Position Overview

The Food Service Assistant supports the school's meal program by ensuring that breakfast and lunch operations run smoothly, safely, and in compliance with all guidelines. This role combines food service oversight, student support, and communication with school staff to help maintain a positive and efficient dining experience. This is a full‑time position working 6 hours per day, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Key Responsibilities

Breakfast Monitoring

• Monitor Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) daily to ensure teachers follow all required protocols.
• Address minor issues on the spot and report any concerns to the Food Service Director.

Communication & Feedback

• Collect feedback from teachers regarding meal quality, delivery, participation, or operational challenges.
• Communicate observations and concerns to the Food Service Director promptly.
• Propose practical solutions to improve meal service and student experience.

Lunch Monitoring & Compliance

• Oversee lunch periods to ensure all food service procedures meet compliance standards.
• Verify that meal distribution, counting, and student flow follow required guidelines.

Student Support & Supervision

• Assist deans, NTAs, and counselors in the lunchroom by monitoring student behavior and helping redirect students as needed.
• Work with students to help them memorize and correctly use their student ID numbers during meal service.
• Collect daily observations on student satisfaction with the meals provided.

Sanitation & Cafeteria Support

• Assist cafeteria staff with cleaning tables, sweeping floors, and maintaining a tidy dining environment.
• Support the overall cleanliness and organization of the cafeteria before, during, and after meal periods.

Qualifications

• Experience in school food service, childcare, or customer service preferred.
• Ability to communicate effectively with students, teachers, and administrators.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced school environment.
• Ability to stand, walk, and perform light physical tasks throughout the shift.
• Dependable, punctual, and committed to supporting a positive school culture.
• HS Diploma - required

Schedule

• Full-time, 6 hours per day
• 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Follows the school calendar; may require occasional flexibility for special events.

American Paradigm Schools are Caring School Communities.

Relationships are the foundation of classroom and school life and underpin teaching, learning, and prosocial development. Building relationships and fostering students' sense of community are a critical part of our work at APS and as such, we have partnered with the Collaborative Classroom to implement the Caring School Community Model in all of our schools.

Caring School Community model builds positive classroom and schoolwide communities while developing students' social and emotional learning (SEL) skills and competencies. It is designed to help students become caring, responsible members of their school communities and, ultimately, to grow into humane, principled, and skilled citizens of a democratic society. The lessons in the program help faculty and staff create a warm, safe, and disciplined school environment where all community members can develop the skills and dispositions they need to interact constructively with others.

All employees at American Paradigm Schools are expected to be true champions of the Caring School Community Program.