Company description

Culikid is a New York City nonprofit that works with kids and young adults of all abilities and comprehension levels. We use cooking as a practical way to teach real-life skills — measuring, cutting, stirring, and sautéing — so students can become more independent in their daily lives.

Job description

Culikid is a small New York nonprofit that works with kids and young adults of all abilities. We use cooking to teach real-life skills — measuring, cutting, stirring, and sautéing — so students can become more independent.

We’re looking for an Occupational Therapist who is comfortable working with neurodiverse students and can help turn cooking into a practical, supportive, skill-building experience. This is a hands-on role that combines functional skill-building, regulation support, and real-world kitchen activities.

You’ll be working directly with students with different ability levels, communication styles, and support needs. The right person should be able to break tasks into manageable steps, adjust to each student’s pace, and help create a calm, structured, and encouraging environment.

What you’ll do

• Develop and run initial evaluations for new participant
• Develop individualized goals for each participant
• Develop practical intervention plans to support those goals through cooking activities
• Create curriculum, session plans, and recipes based on participant needs and goals
• Create basic run-of-show (ROS) plans for sessions
  Help with ingredient planning, shopping, setup, and cleanup as needed
• Lead or support hands-on cooking sessions for neurodiverse kids and young adults
• Use cooking activities to build functional skills, independence, and confidence
• Support fine motor skills, sequencing, sensory regulation, safety, and executive functioning during class
• Communicate directly with parents when needed
  Track participant progress over time
• Enter monthly progress reports and end-of-semester reports

What we’re looking for

• OT license, OT degree, or strong OT training/background
  Experience working with kids, teens, or young adults with different abilities, learning styles, and support needs, including familiarity with autism, ADHD, developmental disabilities, sensory needs, and executive functioning challenges
  Strong clinical judgment and ability to turn functional goals into practical, age-appropriate cooking activities
• Comfortable working directly with families and communicating professionally with parents
• Comfortable in the kitchen and able to use cooking as a functional teaching tool
• Patient, observant, dependable, and easy to work with
  Self-directed, organized, responsive, and very comfortable using technology, including AI tools

Details

Part-time
In-person in Manhattan, with some virtual work possible depending on fit
Training provided on the Culikid model and class format
You may be matched with 1:1 students or small groups based on availability and fit

If you want to use your OT skills in a more practical, personal, and meaningful way, this role offers a chance to make a direct difference in students’ daily lives.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

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Deadline

no deadline