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Healthy Child Screening – Dietitian
About Access Alliance:
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services is a multi-service community agency that works to improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable immigrants, refugees, and their communities. We do this by facilitating access to services and addressing systemic barriers and poverty. The Centre envisions a future in which Toronto’s diverse communities achieve health with dignity.
Volunteer Position Description:
Healthy Child Screening was designed to early identify and development challenges in children 2-6 years of age. This will help parents and teacher to have a better understanding of children and how to interact with them. We have 5 volunteer positions to support our nutrition screening at the Healthy Child Screening (HCS)! Every year, Access Alliance dietitians take part in nutrition screening at the Healthy Child Screening. This event aims to screen for any barriers to learning as children prepare to enter the school system in September.
At each HCS, children and their parents (or guardians) visit a series of health screening ‘stations’ and meet with trained professionals. At the nutrition station, they will find dietitians waiting to screen their child(ren) to see if they are at risk for malnutrition, using the NutriSTEP screening tool.
NutriSTEP® is a fast and simple way to screen for eating habits and identify nutrition issues in children. It includes valid and reliable questionnaires that can differentiate between toddlers and preschoolers who are at nutritional risk and those who are not.
Focus area: Children and Families
Tasks:
- Assist in screening up to 30 children using the NutriSTEP tool for preschoolers 3-5 years (or Toddler NutriSTEP, 18-35 months)
- Document referrals and corresponding reasons for referral
- Provide basic nutrition education/resources as required
Location:
- Secord Elementary School
Date: Monday April 15th 2024
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Location: 101 Barrington Ave, East York, (walk from Main Stn)
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2. Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy |
Date: Tuesday April 16th 2024
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Location: 82 Thorncliffe Park Drive
- George Webster School
Date: Wednesday April 24th 2024
Time: 8:30 am-5 pm
Location: 50 Chapman Ave, East York, ON M4B 1C5
- Crescent Town Elementary School
Date: Wednesday May 8th 2024
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Location: 4 Massey Sq, East York (Victoria Park Stn)
- AccessPoint on Danforth
Date: Wednesday May 27th 2024
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Location: 3079 Danforth Avenue East (short walk from Victoria Park Station)
Time Commitment: Choose ONE or more of the above days (please rank them in order of preference). Ideally, we would prefer you to commit to one full day.
Role Type: Program/Project support
Format: In Person
Skills and Requirements:
- Clear understanding of nutritional screening vs. assessment
- Familiarity with the NutriSTEP tool is an asset but not a requirement
- Confidence in public speaking
- Ability to use plain English language (second language an asset)
- Polite and courteous
- Firm commitment to scope of practice
- Studies in Nutrition/Food/Dietetics an asset
- Complete a new volunteer registration
- Complete onboarding and Volunteer Orientation
- Submit clear Police Back Check
- Must be at least 18 years old
Benefits to the Volunteer:
- Get hands-on experience with nutrition screening for at-risk communities
- Network with other health care professionals
- Liaise with dietitians, health providers and community services
- Obtain volunteer reference letter upon request
- Strengthen professional skills: screening, public speaking, basic nutrition education, interdisciplinary health promotion
- See community dietetics in practice!
Number of positions available: 5
Apply by: March 27, 2024
Start date: April 15, 2024
To Apply:
- Email: Yousra Dabbouk ydabbouk@accessalliance.ca , Subject line “Volunteer: Healthy Child Screening”
- Resume
- Responses to questions below. Be very specific and concrete in your answers, avoid general statements:
- What are the differences between nutritional screening and assessment?
- What recommendations would you make for the following:
- Low physical activity (because of the cold)
- Too much TV /screen time (with young siblings at home)
- Low veggies and fruit intake
- Lack of independence in eating (mom and dad still spoon feed the kids)
- What would you recommend for a family who is facing food insecurity (consider the location of the screening when making a referral or recommendation).
Please note: Due to public health guidelines and organizational precautions around COVID-19, Access Alliance requires all staff, volunteers and students to be fully vaccinated. While onsite at Access Alliance, you are required to wear a mask and follow COVID-19 protocol
We welcome and encourage immigrants and refugees to volunteer with us! We encourage applications from volunteers who reflect the broad diversity of communities we work with, including those from racialized and LGBTQ2+ communities