Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention (BCDP) strives to reduce the burden of chronic disease, including heart disease, obesity, and cancer, among New Yorkers. We work to address the impact of structural racism and other injustices that are a root cause of the inequitable prevalence, treatment and outcomes of chronic diseases in communities of color and among other marginalized communities. BCDP focuses on nutrition, tobacco use, the built environment, screening for cancer, and reducing the incidence and impact of hypertension. BCDP works with partners in government and the community to employ evidence-based policies, programs, public health emergency as deemed by the agency (public health outbreak, natural disaster, etc.), employees may be mandated to assume an emergency response role. In these rare instances and when notified, staff will be re-assigned from their regular day-to-day duties as noted in this job description to take on another role considered necessary by the agency. When this occurs all staff are required to comply with the change in assignment and must be prepared to be called promptly. The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention seek to hire a Farm Preschool Coordinator. The Farm Preschool Coordinator will lead implementation of the Farm to Preschool initiative at 3 unique child care centers in neighborhoods where a high percentage of residents live with low-incomes and where access to fresh fruit and vegetables is limited. The Farm to Preschool Coordinator will report to the Farm Preschool Program Manager.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Plan, implement and coordinate Farm to Preschool community services by engaging with participating child care center directors.
Provide technical assistance, information sessions and orientation trainings for child care center staff in techniques of program implementation.
Engage early childhood educators, parents and/or interested community members in center-based and at-home gardening projects and support teachers with conducting follow up activities.
Conduct community services such as recipe demonstrations and local produce promotion for community members and child care center stakeholders.
Obtain and document program data required for evaluation reports as required by program funders.
Engage and partner with relevant community stakeholders to leverage knowledge, skills, and resources to support continued programming at child care centers.
Prepare and maintain accurate records of program expenditures and supplies required for funding.
Participate in regular team meetings and provide feedback and recommendations on program policies and procedures.
Support the Farm to Preschool Program Manager with other duties as assigned.

**IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:

Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:
- A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license.

- Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title.

- Current Resume

- Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)

Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.

If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment. By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.

**LOAN FORGIVENESS

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF.

"FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”


Apply online with a cover letter to https://a127-jobs.nyc.gov/. In the Job ID search bar, enter: job ID number #

We appreciate the interest and thank all applicants who apply, but only those candidates under consideration will be contacted.

The NYC Health Department is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and gender non-conforming persons to apply.

All applicants will be considered without regard to actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, age, prior record of arrest; or any other basis prohibited by law.

NOTE: This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate in your resume that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a Program.
Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
2. High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Two (2) + yeas of experience conducting nutrition and/or culinary education programming in communities with low-incomes and limited access to resources, preferably in an early childhood setting. Excellent attention to detail and strong organizational and project coordination skills. Flexible, outgoing and able to work independently and productively without direct daily supervision. Understanding of the underlying causes of health inequities and community food security issues in NYC. Experience with gardening, particularly container gardening in small urban spaces. Serv Safe or related food safety certified. Experience using the Microsoft Suite, including Excel and PowerPoint. Willing and able to occasionally lift and move items weighing up to 25 pounds and to stand for long periods while conducting programming. Oral and written fluency in Spanish preferred.

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.