Registered Dietician

Compensation: Consultant rate up to $60 - $65/per hour for 25 hours per week for the 12-month project period as a 1099

Position Summary:

Children's Aid is seeking a Registered Dietitian/Nutrition Consultant for a 12-month, grant-funded opportunity supporting our Early Childhood Division in advancing the Head Start Supplemental Nutrition and Healthy Eating initiative. In this hybrid role, you'll partner with central teams and on-site staff across multiple locations to strengthen nutrition services, deliver evidence-based education, and train cooks, managers, and educators on healthy food practices aligned with Head Start Performance Standards.

Funded through the OHS One-Time Supplemental Nutrition Fund, this role is key to promoting wellness and expanding access to nutritious food for children and families, while building sustainable systems that extend beyond the grant period. Through a combination of on-site support and remote workshops, you'll help drive lasting impact across our programs in Harlem, Washington Heights, the South Bronx, and Northern Staten Island.

Essential Duties:

Staff Training and Technical Assistance

• Conduct professional development for cooks, managers, and classroom staff on menu planning, meal preparation consistent with USDA and Head Start nutrition standards, safe food handling, allergy prevention, and efficient kitchen operations.
• Provide hands-on demonstrations in site kitchens to model effective meal preparation and portion control.
• Develop and distribute user-friendly nutrition resources and visual guides to support continued staff learning.

Nutrition Education for Families

• Design, facilitate/oversee facilitation of nutrition and cooking workshops for families using evidence-based curricula.
• Deliver family workshops in English and Spanish across program sites or virtually.
• Address barriers to healthy eating and model affordable, culturally responsive strategies for family meal planning.

Consultation and Support

• Provide individual or small-group nutrition consultations for families of children with identified nutrition concerns in collaboration with Health Services staff.
• Support the development of Individual Health Care Plans (IHCPs) and ensure alignment with CACFP, HSPPS, and DOHMH Article 47 requirements.
• Offer expertise to strengthen the nutrition components of the Early Childhood Health Manual, Parent Handbook, and classroom practices.

Data, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Document training sessions, participation, and outcomes to support required federal reporting.
• Track implementation of curricula and submit monthly progress summaries to the VP.
• Contribute data and recommendations to the Early Childhood Health Services Advisory Committee

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or master's degree required, preferably with expertise in early childhood nutrition, food service training, and public health education.
• Registered Dietitian license.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish (required).

Key Competencies:

• Strong understanding of Head Start Performance Standards, CACFP, and best practices in family nutrition and child wellness.
• Experience leading workshops, conducting trainings, and developing resource materials.
• Familiarity with curricula such as IMIL, SPARK
• Open to learning about and implementing Children's Aid Go!Kids curriculum.
• Demonstrated ability to apply a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and equity-centered approach.

It is the policy of Children's Aid to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and is dedicated to maintaining a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Children's Aid will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on any basis, including race, creed, color, national origin, ethnicity, alienage or citizenship status, gender/sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, familial status, caregiver status, military status, marital or partnership status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest or conviction record, credit history, unemployment status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Children's Aid is committed to complying with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Children's Aid will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or any violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in a confidential manner and will take appropriate corrective action, if and where warranted. Children's Aid prohibits retaliation against employees who provide information about, complain about, or assist in the investigation of any complaint of discrimination or violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

The incumbent is expected to work a schedule, whether in-person or hybrid, as determined by the department's needs to facilitate effective collaboration with the team. This flexibility is essential for maintaining seamless communication, fostering teamwork, and ensuring the smooth operation of the department's processes. The position's requirements are subject to periodic review and adjustment based on organizational needs and changes in work dynamics.