Company description

Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) is building a food-secure future through school-based, youth-led hydroponic farming, providing local, sustainably-grown produce to food desert communities, and building health, education, and opportunity equity. TFFJ trains students in Title I middle and high schools to maintain indoor hydroponic farms through hands-on farm education in curricular-day classes and afterschool programs.

TFFJ’s farm-in-school model meets immediate food access needs while equipping youth from marginalized communities with the tools to advocate for equitable food systems change. Student-grown produce is distributed to school cafeterias, campus families, and local food-insecure residents in underresourced communities of color.

Job description

TFFJ seeks to develop a 28-lesson curriculum that engages elementary school students with special needs in the basics of hydroponic farming, food justice, advocacy, health, and nutrition. Furthermore, this curriculum and its implementation will equip students with essential life skills necessary for achieving maximum independence, social integration, and personal well-being by providing tailored instruction in areas such as self-care, communication, decision-making, social interaction, and functional academics, fostering confidence, autonomy, and lifelong learning. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with experience teaching and designing curricula for elementary school students with special needs.

This is a contracted, grant-funded role that caps at 84 hours worked, inclusive of approximately 8 hours of ongoing planning time with TFFJ staffers. All final deliverables must be sent to TFFJ no later than June 30, 2026.

To fulfill this contract, the Curriculum Writer will:

• Adapt and create new resources for 28 lesson plans geared toward elementary students with disabilities (learning, developmental, behavioral, physical).
• Meet every other week with TFFJ's STEM Programming & School Partnership Manager to discuss goals for lessons and progress being made to adapt lessons (approx. 8 hours total).
• Ensure all materials align with all K-5 and Next Generation Science (NGSS) academic standards while being developmentally appropriate for students with special needs.
• Create tiered activities and supports that allow for varied levels of participation and understanding.
  Include scaffolds such as visual supports, manipulatives, graphic organizers, sentence starters, and simplified text.
• Provide a list of suggestions for future curriculum development topics, activities, tools, and other supports to enhance the accessibility and learning experience of special education students.

Responsibilities and Essential Functions

Curriculum Development (85%)

• Adapt and develop lesson plans and instructional materials for a 28-lesson elementary curriculum focused on hydroponic farming, food justice, advocacy, health, and nutrition.
  Ensure all lessons are aligned with NGSS and K–5 academic standards while remaining developmentally appropriate for students with special needs.
  Design curriculum to meet the needs of students with disabilities by incorporating differentiation, tiered activities, and scaffolded supports (visuals, simplified text, manipulatives, sentence starters, graphic organizers).
  Integrate opportunities for students to build essential life skills (communication, decision-making, self-care, social interaction, functional academics) through hands-on learning.
  Develop accessible food preparation and nutrition activities using crops grown through classroom hydroponic systems, and provide recommendations for future curriculum enhancements.

Planning Meetings (10%)

• Participate in regular planning meetings (approximately every other week) with TFFJ’s STEM Programming & School Partnership Manager.
  Collaborate to establish lesson goals, review progress, and ensure curriculum alignment with program needs and student outcomes.
  Incorporate feedback and program updates into curriculum revisions and final deliverables.

Site Visits (5%)

• Conduct occasional site visits (as needed) to observe classroom environments and better understand student needs and implementation conditions.
  Gather insights to strengthen curriculum accessibility, usability, and effectiveness for special education settings.
  Meet with relevant school staff during visits to ensure curriculum recommendations are practical and classroom-ready.

Required Qualifications and Competencies:

• Demonstrated experience designing curriculum for elementary-aged learners (K–5), preferably in STEM, health, or nutrition topics.
  Experience teaching and/or developing instructional materials for students with IEPs and disabilities, including diverse learning, developmental, behavioral, and physical needs (SPED certification or comparable experience).
  Strong understanding of special education instructional strategies, including scaffolding, differentiation, and tiered learning supports.
  Ability to create accessible lesson materials, including simplified text, visual supports, manipulatives, graphic organizers, and sentence starters.
  Familiarity with aligning curriculum to NGSS and/or other K–5 academic standards.
  Ability to design lessons that promote life skills development (communication, self-care, decision-making, functional academics, social skills).
  Ability to create materials in multiple formats (teacher guides, student worksheets, visuals, slide decks, etc.).
  Strong project management skills, including the ability to meet deadlines, manage multiple deliverables, and complete curriculum work within fixed development hours.
  Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, student-friendly, and teacher-friendly lesson plans.
  Ability to collaborate effectively with program staff and incorporate feedback through monthly planning meetings.

Desired Qualifications and Competencies:

• Commitment to youth-centered education and the mission of food justice, health equity, and advocacy.
  Knowledge of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and best practices for inclusive instruction.
  Familiarity with hydroponic farming, indoor agriculture, or school garden programs.
  Experience creating nutrition education curriculum and/or simple food preparation lessons for children.
  Understanding of social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies, especially for special needs populations.
  Experience designing lessons with hands-on science experiments and inquiry-based learning.
  Familiarity with culturally responsive teaching and integrating food justice and advocacy themes in an age-appropriate way.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other underrepresented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when in fact they often do! We are committed to creating an inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Location

job can be done remotely

Application instructions

If you are not registered, you'll be prompted to do so. Don't worry, it's free!

Deadline

no deadline