Garden Educator

Sabot At Stony Point Inc; Richmond (VA); Presencial; USD 26.000 - 37.000; A tiempo parcial

Descripción de la vacante

Sabot School in Richmond, VA seeks a part-time Garden Educator to steward the garden and partner with faculty to connect students with the natural world through inquiry-based learning.

The educator will maintain the garden, monitor plant health, and design age-appropriate garden experiences for children from Early Childhood through Middle School, aligning opportunities with curriculum and ongoing investigations.

Formación

• Experience working with children in educational settings.
• Background check required.
• Outdoor garden maintenance and safety awareness.

Responsabilidades

• Maintain the school garden to be safe, welcoming, and educationally engaging.
• Monitor the health and growth of plants, trees, and garden beds.
• Collaborate with faculty to connect classroom studies and emergent curriculum to the garden environment.
• Design and facilitate age-appropriate garden experiences for children from Early Childhood through Middle School.
• Support teachers in using the garden as an extension of the classroom.
• Develop seasonal garden learning opportunities aligned with children’s interests, questions, and ongoing investigations.
• Assist faculty in identifying opportunities for scientific inquiry, environmental stewardship, literacy, mathematics, art, and documentation within the garden.
• Provide resources, ideas, and support for garden-based learning experiences.
• Serve as a collaborative partner and resource for faculty exploring outdoor and nature-based learning.
• Foster a culture of appreciation and stewardship for the school's garden spaces.
• Support occasional community gardening events, workdays, or educational opportunities as requested.
• Encourage meaningful connections between children, families, faculty, and the garden.

Descripción del empleo

Sabot School, a progressive preschool–Grade 8 school in Richmond and a leader in the Reggio Emilia Approach®, seeks a part-time Garden Educator .

The Garden Educator serves as both steward of the school's garden spaces and a partner to faculty in connecting children with the natural world through meaningful, inquiry-based learning experiences. This role is responsible for maintaining and developing the garden as a vibrant learning environment while collaborating with teachers to integrate garden-based experiences into the curriculum.

Grounded in Sabot's commitment to experiential learning and the principles of the Sabot Approach, the Garden Educator supports children's curiosity, observation, research, and relationship with the natural environment through hands-on engagement in the garden.

• Maintain the school garden to ensure it is safe, welcoming, and educationally engaging.
• Monitor the health and growth of plants, trees, and garden beds.
• Collaborate with faculty to connect classroom studies and emergent curriculum to the garden environment.
• Design and facilitate age-appropriate garden experiences for children from Early Childhood through Middle School.
• Support teachers in using the garden as an extension of the classroom.
• Develop seasonal garden learning opportunities aligned with children’s interests, questions, and ongoing investigations.
• Assist faculty in identifying opportunities for scientific inquiry, environmental stewardship, literacy, mathematics, art, and documentation within the garden.
• Provide resources, ideas, and support for garden-based learning experiences.
• Serve as a collaborative partner and resource for faculty exploring outdoor and nature-based learning.
• Foster a culture of appreciation and stewardship for the school's garden spaces.
• Support occasional community gardening events, workdays, or educational opportunities as requested.
• Encourage meaningful connections between children, families, faculty, and the garden.

Qualifications

Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of native plants, sustainable gardening practices, and seasonal gardening cycles.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating effectively with faculty and staff.
• Strong organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Appreciation for inquiry-based, child-centered educational practices.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work outdoors in varying weather conditions.
• Ability to lift, carry, and move gardening materials and equipment.
• Ability to bend, kneel, stand, and perform routine garden maintenance tasks. Ability to stand, walk, and move around for extended periods of time during supervision and activities both indoors and outdoors

Special Requirements

Must be able to successfully pass a background check (including but not limited to a criminal record, abuse and neglect, sex offender registry, credit report, social media, and driving record check) as a condition of employment and continued employment.

The ideal candidate will

• Enjoys working with children and educators.
• Demonstrates initiative, flexibility, and creativity.
• Values collaboration and relationship-building.
• Sees the garden as both a living ecosystem and a dynamic learning environment.
• Brings curiosity, joy, and a growth mindset to their work.

Job Category: Part-time, Exempt
Time: 5 hours per week
Pay: $23/hour