Company description

Edible Schoolyard Kern County encourages children in their discovery and development of a healthy relationship with the food they eat. Our hands-on garden and kitchen lessons teach students the value of: seasonality, nutrition, seed-to-table, community, and environmental stewardship.

Job description

Edible Schoolyard Kern County (ESYKC)

Garden Educator

Reports to: BVESY Operations and Site Manager

Position Summary:

The Garden Educator is involved in teaching garden and kitchen classes and is responsible for the maintenance of a year-round productive and educational organic garden.

Duties and Responsibilities:

(Include but are not limited to)

• Maintains a productive and educational organic garden
• Maintains garden at a level that ensures ample produce to the Kitchen classroom.
• Involved in all garden classes, guiding students through propagation, harvesting, cultivation, composting, greenhouse production and maintenance of the garden
  Involved in kitchen classes, guiding students through lesson and recipe execution and clean up
• Collaborates with the BVESY Operations and Site Manager on the execution of grade appropriate garden skills, activities and lessons
• Assists with soil fertility, composting, garden planning, seed supply, pruning, irrigation, pest and disease management and small-scale chicken husbandry
• Maintains garden records
• Facilitates weekly garden walk through with kitchen and garden staff members, and writes and distributes notes
• Maintain communication with kitchen staff about garden production and available produce.

All Garden Staff Will:

• Participate in the implementation, set up and teaching of daily lessons
• Helps maintain garden facilities, equipment and inventory including tool shed, chicken coop, greenhouse and all hand tools
• Helps with daily garden work year round
• Teaches or participates as needed in the kitchen or other ESYKC sites
• Attend and participate in all staff meetings, and scheduled ESYKC professional development days

Community:

• Helps plan and execute Community Cooking & Garden classes, Annual Plant Sale, camps, and fundraising events
• Attend school-wide functions (i.e.: Open House, Showcase Night, etc.)
• Maintain healthy relationship with BV Elementary, GFEF, and ESYKC Staff
• Represent ESYKC program to wider community (i.e.: giving tours of ESY, public speaking engagements, off site community events)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Ability to work with elementary school students in an educational environment
• Ability to maintain order and safe working practices in a garden and kitchen setting with young students
• Strong knowledge of the principles of gardening
• Ability to interact positively and effectively with a variety of constituents including students, co-workers, parents, teachers, volunteers and visitors
• Ability to work collaboratively

Education and Experience:

• Gardening experience (preferred)
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Educational background in agriculture, horticulture, liberal arts, education or related fields preferred
• Experience working with elementary school aged students preferred

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Ability to work in summer heat (100° +)
• Ability to stand, stoop, reach, and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects
• Ability to stand for long periods and walk long distances
• Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects (up to approximately 50 pounds)
• Ability to read small print
• Ability to work with and in the proximity of equipment with moving mechanical parts
• Ability to work outdoors in a physically demanding environment
• Ability to smell, taste and feel to determine the quality of raw food products
• Ability to work around loud noise

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline