Job Description: Garden Educator and Outdoor Site Lead- Part Time, 20-25 hours per week. This is a year round position, however during non-peak months (December, January, February)- work schedule will be reduced to 10 hours per week. This is an hourly position which requires a highly efficient and organized self starter who is also highly confident and able to work with children and staff.
Garden Educator: The ideal candidate will be able to multi-task and complete projects within a deadline. Exceptional attendance is required. The garden educator will protect, manage and maintain the Little Ones Learning Center Jazmin Green garden and assist with a bi-weekly farm stand. This position requires the knowledge of how to improve awareness as well as understanding garden education and outreach. This position is an excellent opportunity for education or environment champions!
Key Functions and Responsibilities:
Form bonds with children by creating special experiences in the garden in small group settings. This is required for all children ages 2-12 to support high levels of engagement and interaction.
Facilitate the center’s environmental education programs as well as scheduling periodic field trips and community education programs
Full garden maintenance
Monitor and maintain the garden, providing proper care such as weeding, replacing mulch, watering of the plants that are growing in the bed and maintain other plant life
Harvest, Weed, turn compost bed/ mulch when needed, treat soil, and water beds
Organic crop handling: seed sowing, transplanting, harvesting
Monitor, document, photograph and report on all activities pertaining to the garden including the harvest log, garden activity log, garden plan, garden map and surveys
Attend periodic parent enrichment meetings and special events
Attend periodic meetings, functions, events and conferences to serve as an ambassador or representative on behalf of Little Ones Learning Center
Tasty Tuesdays
Create a special snack for teachers sourcing produce from the garden and items in our kitchen
Storage closet and shelf organization and ongoing maintenance
Bi-weekly cooking project with children, using the Black Child Development’s Good For Me Cooking Curriculum
Bi-weekly cooking project with staff in our outdoor kitchen
Watering of fruit trees and plants around center
Maintain Compost pit
Ensure outdoor kitchen area is tidy and Green Egg is clean and covered.
Assist with Little Lion’s Farm Stand on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 1:00-5:00
Periodic taste test at farm stand
Playground maintenance- mulch area under swings and playground when needed
Perform safety check of playground daily (ensure no fallen branches, safety hazards, concrete, fallen debris, trash)
Assist kitchen staff in providing harvest to use for snacks for center children or prepare tasty snack on your own to distribute to children
Develop a budget for needed items for our zen garden area
Promote Garden Club w/ master and guru gardener (Encourage children to sign up)
Develop a budget for items needed to support work
Create harvest log template and weigh produce harvested
Provide feedback on the effectiveness and quality of the program
Create/install/maintenance of raised beds throughout the center grounds
Treat raised beds with fungicide and neem oil as the beds become empty and add more soil/ sod to raised beds
Create Fall garden Map to post in Kiosk (once the beds have been surveyed to see what plants can stay and what needs to be removed.)
Create Lions bucket chart to distribute amongst each classroom to explain to teachers how Lions bucks are earned- Work in collaboration with Ms. Stacie
Measure fence for trellis along the Zen garden to enclose the area so that the street is not visible.
Additional duties as assigned
Additional Requirements:
Must meet all childcare center licensing requirements, including but not limited to background clearance ($48.25- candidate is responsible for payment)
18 clock hours of approved training required
Attendance at bi-monthly staff meetings
Host a quarterly parent engagement morning workshop for parents
As a center employee, working at additional early childhood programs in this capacity is in direct conflict.
Lesson plans/schedule turned in weekly
Good To Know:
Our center is participating in the GA Farm to ECE initiative
Check out our IG- @LittleOnesFP
FB- @LittleOnesLearningCenterFP
Oversight will be conducted by Little Ones Learning Center admin and external lead and master gardener guru, who also facilitates our weekly Thursday garden club
The Garden Educator’s role is to protect, manage, and maintain the Little Ones’s Jazmine Greene Community Garden. It will require the knowledge and improving awareness as well as the understanding of the garden through education and outreach programs. This position is an excellent opportunity for those interested in building awareness and understanding about our garden.
The Garden Educator is a resource for teachers as they plan their own cross-curricular lessons in the outdoor classroom; and models skills that teachers need to feel comfortable using the garden to teach science.
Responsible/Duties include, but not limited to, the following:
Facilitate the center’s environmental education programs, such as Good for me Curriculum as well as including school and camp field trips, community education programs.
Facilitates garden science classes, incorporating both environmental science and nutrition education as they relate to the garden.
Support the administration with scheduling and permitting groups attending the program as needed.
Monitor and maintain the garden, provide proper care such as weeding, replacing mulch, and watering of the plants that are growing in the beds, and surrounding plant life.
Organic crop handling: seed sowing, transplanting, harvesting
Organic crop maintenance: soil health, weeding, disease control, overall appearance
Oversees and coordinates students’ hands-on experiences in the garden.
Builds involvement in and commitment to the school garden within the school community, including teachers, administrators, students, parents and community volunteers.
Manage the school garden, plan and prepare for garden work activities, manage planting schedule, ensure availability of tools and other necessary materials;
Coordinate community garden events to bring students, families, teachers and community members together as well as coordinate school-wide garden events, in which students prepare and serve garden-grown salad for the entire school at lunch.
Monitor, document, photograph and report on all activities pertaining to the garden including harvest log, garden activity log, garden plan, garden map, and surveys.
Attend grade level meetings on a monthly basis for collaborations and core curriculum alignment.
Knowledge and skills in small-scale organic food production or home gardening.
Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations including youth and adults.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work independently and be flexible.
Attend Georgia Organics conferences as well as any other additional training.
Develop resources to be used in the gardening program.
Provide feedback on the effectiveness and quality of programs and assist in the continuing development of program curricula, the development of new programs, and other department initiatives.
Focus on grounds maintenance
Playground maintenance- remove fallen branches
Keep garden immaculate
Update garden kiosk
Work in tandem with external farm to school educator
Written assessment and documentation will be required
Photo log and journal