Communication, Logistics & Support
You’ve learned what makes a KTK experience different.
You know how to prepare.
You know what we’re asking you to bring to the room.
And you know the standards that protect participants, partners, and the experience itself.
Now let’s talk about the practical side of working with Kids’ Test Kitchen.
As an independent contractor, you manage your own preparation, equipment, supplies, and facilitation.
KTK provides the curriculum, class-specific resources, partner coordination, and support that help you successfully deliver the experience you’ve agreed to provide.
Think of this section as:
How this partnership works.
The Pantry
The Pantry is KTK’s scheduling portal and your home base for the classes and sessions you’ve accepted.
This is where you’ll find your schedule, class information, Guidance Documents, and your Profile.
Take a Quick Tour
Before we go any further, take a few minutes to get familiar with The Pantry.
Watch: Introduction to The Pantry
The video will show you how to:
- review the classes and sessions you’ve accepted;
- access class and site information;
- find your Guidance Documents;
- and manage information in your Profile.
Knowing where to look—and what to look for—will make everything else easier.
And Remember: The Guidance Is Your Best Tool
You’ve heard this before.
There’s a reason. 😉
Your Guidance Document contains what you need to prepare for each class—including your:
shopping list,
packing list,
preparation guidance,
class flow,
and specified take-home.
Print it. Read it. Shop from it. Pack from it.
Don’t rely on the participant recipe card alone.
Before your first class at a location, also review the site information KTK has provided.
Whenever possible, we gather practical information from our partners ahead of time—including things such as whether a sink is available—so that you know what kind of environment you’re walking into.
If something isn’t clear:
Ask.
It’s much easier to answer a question before class than solve a surprise.
Required Third-Party Certifications
Before facilitating a KTK class, you must provide documentation of current certification in:
- Food Allergen Awareness
- Food Safety
- Epinephrine & Anaphylaxis Auto-Injector Administration
These certifications provide technical knowledge that KTK training does not replace.
If you already hold a current qualifying certification, you do not need to complete the course again.
Upload the certificate and expiration date to your Profile in The Pantry, as demonstrated in this video.
If you need certification, use the current resources below.
Food Allergen Awareness
If you need this certification, let Karen know.
She’ll trigger the email invitation for the online course KTK has secured for facilitators.
Once complete, upload your certificate and expiration date to your Pantry Profile.
Food Safety
Choose ONE of the current approved training options provided here:
- SERVSAFE FOOD HANDLER
- Always Food Safe – this is the same company that we use to provide Allergen Awareness Certification. You may find it easier to use one provider.
- 360 Training
Once complete, upload your certificate and expiration date to your Pantry Profile.
Epinephrine & Anaphylaxis Auto-Injector Administration
Complete an appropriate qualifying course and upload your certificate and expiration date to your Pantry Profile.
CPR & First Aid
CPR and First Aid are not required by KTK, although individual hosting partners may require them.
If you’re certified, you’re welcome to add those credentials to your Pantry Profile as well.
Your one-time orientation payment is intended, in part, to help offset expenses associated with required third-party certification.
Recipe Cards + Your KTK Apron
KTK will send the participant recipe cards you’ll need at least one week before your session begins.
Your first shipment will also include your KTK apron.
Recipe cards aren’t simply class supplies.
They’re part of the experience.
Every participant should receive the appropriate recipe card after class along with the specified take-home identified in your Guidance Document.
Your Tools Belong to You
As an independent contractor, you’ll need the tools and equipment necessary to provide your service.
You select your equipment.
You purchase it.
You own it.
You maintain it.
KTK does not maintain or replace contractor-owned equipment.
Your one-time orientation payment is intended, in part, to help support the initial expense associated with establishing your class kit, as well as required third-party training costs.
Keep records of purchases made in support of your work.
And keep your receipts.
Consult your tax professional regarding how business-related expenses should be treated for tax purposes.
How Payments Work
There are a few different payments you may receive from KTK, and each serves a different purpose.
Orientation Payment
This is a one-time payment processed after:
1. You complete KTK training, AND
2. You have accepted your first class/session/contract.
It is intended to help support initial equipment and required third-party training expenses.
Supply Payment
Your supply payment is deposited before the start of the class/session/contract you’ve accepted.
It is intended to cover required food ingredients and specified required consumables.
The amount is estimated using historical costs and is generally quite accurate.
But groceries don’t always cooperate with historical averages. 😉
If your eligible required expenses exceed the amount KTK provided, there is a reimbursement process.
We’ll get to that below.
Service Payment
Your facilitator rate is $60 per class hour.
That rate is intended to compensate for the total work associated with a typical class, including preparation, facilitation, and cleanup.
Final service payment is scheduled for deposit on the business day following the final class of your session.
You’ll receive payment notification from KTK and QuickBooks/Intuit.
If you’re unable to facilitate one or more dates for which you originally received supply funds, your final payment may be adjusted to account for supply money provided for classes you did not facilitate.
Required Consumables vs. Other Consumables
This distinction matters when you’re shopping and when reimbursement is involved.
Required Consumables
A required consumable is a non-food item specifically identified as necessary for the intended class experience or outcome.
For example, a particular take-home container required for a specific recipe.
These are included in the intended use of your supply payment.
Other Consumables
These are supplies you use in the normal course of providing your service, such as:
- gloves;
- plates or bowls, if you choose disposable rather than reusable service pieces;
- utensils;
- and similar routine service supplies.
We strongly recommend buying frequently used disposables in bulk.
If 300 plates cost $15 and last approximately 25 classes, the cost associated with any one class is very small.
The same principle applies to gloves and other routine supplies.
And remember:
Gloves are used when appropriate—not automatically for every task.
When Your Supply Payment Isn’t Enough
We know prices vary.
If, at the end of your session, you’ve spent more on eligible required food ingredients and required supplies than KTK provided, submit your receipts using the current KTK Reimbursement Form.
Eligible reimbursement is reviewed and processed promptly.
Expenses for routine contractor consumables may be considered, but full reimbursement may not always be appropriate when a purchase will support many future classes.
You’ll also find the reimbursement form in Facilitator Resources and other places you regularly encounter KTK information.
The basic rule is:
Keep your receipts.
Don’t discard them until you’re confident you no longer need them for reimbursement or tax-record purposes.
If something costs significantly more than expected—or you’re unsure whether an expense is covered—ask.
When You Can’t Facilitate a Class You’ve Accepted
Things happen.
People get sick.
Families have emergencies.
Cars break down.
Unexpected conflicts arise.
If you discover that you can’t facilitate a class you’ve accepted:
Communicate as early as possible.
Follow KTK’s current substitute-request procedure rather than independently arranging coverage or making assumptions about what should happen.
You’ll find the current substitute-request form in Facilitator Resources, The Pantry, and the Team Bulletin.
The earlier we know, the more options we have.
A last-minute emergency is a last-minute emergency.
But when advance notice is possible, please give it.
This is another principle you’ve seen throughout training:
Don’t make us wonder.
Communicate.
Weather + Emergency Closures
KTK classes take place in partner facilities, so weather and emergency closures often depend on decisions made by the host organization.
A school or municipal closure may mean KTK is canceled.
But not always.
Do not assume a KTK class is canceled until you’ve received confirmation from KTK.
We coordinate with our partners and communicate closure information as it becomes available.
If you’re uncertain:
Ask rather than guess.
And your safety matters too.
If you have an immediate concern related to travel conditions, communicate with us.
Arriving at Your Site
Our partners expect KTK facilitators to arrive at least 15 minutes before class begins.
That gives you time to enter the building, connect with site staff, prepare your workspace, and be ready when participants arrive.
It also gives the host confidence that everything is under control.
If you’re running behind:
Tell someone.
Depending on the circumstances, that may mean communicating with the host, KTK, or both.
You may know you’re three minutes away.
They don’t.
Proactive communication is one of the simplest ways to show consideration for the people we’re working with.
Your Class Insight
After class, we want to know what you noticed.
Not just:
“Did everyone like it?”
You already know that isn’t especially interesting to us. 😉
We’re interested in things like:
What helped participants feel safe and willing to participate?
What sparked curiosity?
Where did you see confidence growing?
What surprised you?
What adjustment helped?
Was there something at the site we should understand?
What did this class teach us that could make a future experience better?
The Class Insight Form gives you a place to share those observations.
And we actually use them.
Your insight can help us:
improve a recipe,
understand a partner location,
support a participant,
identify a pattern,
recognize an important success,
or make things easier for the next facilitator.
Every class teaches us something.
Your perspective matters.
Class Insight vs. Incident Report
Most routine observations, successes, challenges, and site notes belong in your Class Insight.
An injury, significant behavioral situation, or another reportable incident requiring formal documentation belongs in an Incident Report.
If you’re unsure which one you need, ask.
Both forms are available in Facilitator Resources.
Please Don’t Be the Hero
This may be one of the most important things in this entire section.
If something isn’t going well…
Tell us.
If you’re struggling with a participant…
Tell us.
If communication with a partner feels uncomfortable…
Tell us.
If you’re overwhelmed…
Tell us.
If you think you’ve made a mistake…
Tell us.
If you’re unsure whether something matters enough to mention…
Tell us anyway.
We sincerely want you to enjoy facilitating.
And we can’t help with a struggle we don’t know exists.
There is no prize for quietly enduring a problem until it becomes unbearable. 👏
If Something Goes Wrong, We Want to Hear It From You
Whenever reasonably possible, KTK should hear about a problem from you before we hear about it from a parent or partner.
That isn’t about getting ahead of blame.
It’s about trust.
We trust you to be transparent with us.
And you should be able to trust us too.
We’ve got your back.
If a difficult situation arises, we’re not going to betray your trust or throw you under the bus to make a conversation easier.
We’ll listen.
We’ll gather information.
We’ll communicate thoughtfully.
We’ll be honest.
And we’ll work toward the best possible outcome for everyone involved.
That doesn’t mean we’ll pretend mistakes didn’t happen.
It means we’ll handle them with respect, transparency, and care.
That’s what we ask of you.
And it’s what you should expect from us.
You Don’t Have to Know Everything
No training can prepare you for every participant.
Every partner.
Every weird room configuration.
Every missing ingredient.
Every interpersonal challenge.
Every unexpected moment.
And we don’t expect this one to.
What we hope we’ve given you instead is something more useful:
A way to think.
You know what KTK values.
You know what we’re trying to create.
You know what’s flexible.
You know what isn’t.
You have resources.
You have guidance.
And you have people behind you.
When you aren’t sure what to do:
Keep people safe.
Treat them with respect.
Protect their autonomy.
Honor our partners.
Use your judgment.
Communicate.
Ask for help.
That will get you surprisingly far.
One Last Thing…
We really do want you to have fun.
Not perform fun.
Have fun.
Enjoy the ridiculous comments.
Celebrate the tiny victories.
Get excited about vegetables.
Laugh when appropriate.
Learn everyone’s names.
Notice when someone who wouldn’t touch a knife three weeks ago suddenly reaches for it with confidence.
Notice when someone realizes:
“Wait—I can do this.”
Let yourself feel proud when a participant runs out the door waving a recipe card because they can’t wait to show someone at home.
Those moments are the work.
You won’t change every participant’s relationship with food in one class.
You aren’t supposed to.
You’re creating experiences.
Sometimes an experience becomes curiosity.
Sometimes curiosity becomes confidence.
Sometimes confidence becomes greater independence.
Sometimes it becomes a new habit.
Sometimes it becomes a conversation around a family table.
You don’t get to decide what the change will be.
You just get the privilege of helping make it possible.
Cooking is a life skill. And so is eating.
Thank you for helping us keep the Kids’ Test Kitchen Promise.