Work Outside School Garden Educator, Explore Ecology

Explore Ecology School Garden Program

Garden Educator

A School Garden Educator’s primary role is to engage and educate students while maintaining the school's garden and outdoor classroom. Main duties include: coordinating with teachers, planning and teaching lessons in outdoor classrooms to K-8th grade students, and planting, harvesting and maintaining organic garden space. The School Garden Educator reports to their assigned Garden Coordinator.

Pay and Benefits

- Starting Pay: $16.50 per hour

- Bonus Potential: Annual increase opportunity and bonuses based on performance

- Full Time Employees: 30-40 hours per week

- Health Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance

- 2 weeks per year of paid vacation

- 9 days per year of sick time off

- 8 Paid Holidays per year

Role and Responsibilities

- Lead weekly garden education lessons in your school’s organic garden for K-8th grade students

- Maintain and submit weekly reporting

- Use a portion of your weekly assigned hours to maintain your school garden(s), growing a diverse mix of seasonal crops and perennials

- Continue to build your school's connection to the garden through garden work parties or campus beautification days, outreach to the PTA or Wellness Committees, recruiting and managing community volunteers to help with the garden, and by distributing produce harvested in the garden to the school community

- Communicate regularly with your Garden Coordinator, attend monthly and/or weekly staff meetings focused on team building, staff development, and training

Work Environment

- Outdoors and on a school campus

- Standing, bending, and stooping for extended periods of time (up to 8 hours)

- Extensive contact with the public and children

- Unassisted heavy lifting (up to 40 lbs.)

Scheduling

- Shift work exclusively

- Full Time: 30-40 hours per week / 5 shifts

- Part Time: approximately 15-25 hours per week / 3 shifts

- Must be able to work occasional evenings and weekends (Saturday and/or Sunday), as scheduled.

Additional Qualifications and Education Requirements

- Degree in relevant subject including but not limited to Environmental Education, Elementary Education, Horticulture, Botany

- Experience working with groups of Elementary aged students

- Must pass LiveScan (fingerprint background check) and TB test

- Spanish Speakers are encouraged to apply

Preferred Skills and Characteristics

- A passion to cultivate children's connection to nature, healthy food, and culture through hands-on garden-based education

- Experience teaching and working with elementary-age students

- Experience with growing produce

- Ability to work independently, setting own schedule, while maintaining clear communication with assigned Garden Coordinator

- Strong organizational skills

Information about Explore Ecology

Explore Ecology is a Santa Barbara based non-profit organization that educates over 38,000 children a year, inspiring them to engage with the natural world, think critically, and experience the value of environmental stewardship. Explore Ecology programs include the Art From Scrap Creative ReUse Store and Gallery, Environmental Education, Watershed Resource Center, and School Gardens.

Explore Ecology actively promotes an environment of respect, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We support all employees regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, race, ethnic origin, color, religion, national origin, creed, marital status, disabled veteran status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, and/or physical disability that does not inhibit the performance of the specific core tasks of this position.

TO APPLY: Please fill out our application form; there will be a place to upload your resume in the form: https://forms.gle/w4tTCPbEi1V27y4J8.

To view more open positions at Explore Ecology, please visit our website: https://exploreecology.org/get-involved/job-listings/

Thank you for your interest!