Company description

What sets Hawthorne Valley apart is not just its mission or its dedicated team, but its unconventional approach to everything it does. We take pride in being unconventional by nature when it means:

Recognizing the innate capacities and individual potential in each student when convention moves toward increasing standardization.
Leaving horns on cows, and calves with their mothers, when convention treats animals as units of production in an industrial food chain.
Following the precautionary principle in navigating our relationship to technology when convention rushes at unchecked speeds to adopt the next new thing.
Fostering economic associations based on compassionate mutuality and conscious collaboration when convention sharpens its elbows to out-compete and monopolize.
Celebrating our diversity and complexity as an organization when convention embraces homogeneity and further specialization.

Job description

PBLC Children’s Program and Earth Stewards Camp Manager

The mission of the Children’s Program of Hawthorne Valley Farm Place Based Learning Center is to inspire, strengthen and transform the connection between people and the living land. We seek to provide opportunities to children and adults for place-based, artistic experiences within the context of a working biodynamic farm.

Within our children’s programs we teach and guide all who participate by supporting the objectives of Waldorf Education begun by Rudolf Steiner. We foster respect for the earth, interdependence, responsibility, and social consciousness. Our goal is to help the children in these programs to become self-motivated individuals who approach the world around them with openness and an awareness of community and the environment.

Each staff member is asked to help create a professional environment which encourages respect, honesty and trust amongst all employees and also offers the highest degree of service to participants in the Place Based Learning Center programs. Employees are asked to maintain the program image as an ethical and positive place to work while exemplifying the mission statement.

Purpose

· To manage, with the support of other program managers and seasonal staff members, all educational activities and daily operations related to the residential and day children’s programming for the Hawthorne Valley Farm Place Based Learning Center

· To provide a nurturing, responsive environment to campers, visiting school children, teachers/chaperones, parents and all who visit the program.

· To implement, create and manage all Earth Stewards camp operations and activities with staff support.

· To implement, create, and managed all Practicum operations and activities with staff support (This goes through the month of May, and is hosted in the camp cabins and HVA departments)

· To hire/train supervise, mentor and coach seasonal summer staff members with the support of other PBLC staff.

· To support in the administration of the programs of the Hawthorne Valley Farm Place Based Learning Center, in collaboration with the managers and directors.

· To Host Breakfasts for visiting classes as head waiter, beginning at 7:00 am Tues-Friday

Status

· Reports to the PBLC Children’s Program Directors

· Supervises Earth Stewards Camp Counselors with other PBLC Staff

· Works collaboratively with all members of the HVF Place Based Learning Center and other co-workers at HVA

Responsibilities

Visiting Student Program Manager

· Develops and implements farm-based educational activities, curriculum and programs for children for the PBLC in collaboration with other managers. All programs are based on the principles of Waldorf Education.

· Demonstrates passion for and knowledge of farming, basic animal care, horticultural and craft skills

· Ensures the safe operation of all farm-related educational activities

· Helps to maintain care for all animals that are involved in programming with the help of other staff, including occasional hours on the weekend as needed (when program is not in session)

· Develops and implements practicum week programing.

· Helps to maintain all tools and supplies necessary for programs

· Supervise/train a diverse staff

Summer Camp Manager

· Hires, trains and supervises Earth Stewards Camp counselors with collaboration and support of PBLC staff.

· Develops, schedules, and implements Summer Camp curriculum and activities for children ages 12 to 16 with the support of other camp managers and counselors

· Supports the camp director with administrative requirements

· Responsible for communications with campers’ parents and the camp nurse

· Responsible for adhering to all health and safety regulations as per NYS DOH

Qualifications

· Knowledge of basic animal care, gardening skills, leading hands-on activities

· Experience in, passion for summer camp operations

· Experience working with children ages 8 to 16 in hands-on outdoor environment

· Skills or interest in farm-based crafts

· Strong knowledge of Waldorf education and Biodynamic agriculture

· First aid/CPR certification. Lifeguard certification helpful.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

· Excellent communication, organizational, administrative and interpersonal skills with all age groups.

· High competence with basic computer skills such as Microsoft Office, Excel, and Outlook

· Willingness to collaborate with others

· Flexibility and an open attitude to new ideas

Hours and Type of Employment

· Full time management position with benefits

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $20.00 - $22.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline