Guidestone Ranch & Homestead Experimental Educator Mountain Roots Healthy Futures

Fremont Economic Development Corporation; Salida (CO); On-site; USD 12,852 - 15,708; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bi-weekly living allowance of $865.45

Education award/tuiton assistance of $5,176.50

Potential healthcare benefits

Professional development and training opportunities

Job summary

A community development organization in Salida, Colorado is seeking a Ranch & Homestead Experimental Educator. The role involves running education programs for youth, engaging them in ranching and traditional skills. Ideal candidates should have experience working with youth in outdoor settings and a passion for local agriculture. This position offers a living allowance and an education award upon successful service completion.

Qualifications

• Experience with youth ages 5-12.
• Creative, kind, patient, and flexible approach.
• Ability to connect students with historical and agricultural traditions.

Responsibilities

• Run education programs focused on ranching and traditional skills.
• Support summer camp and enrichment program development.
• Ensure a safe and positive learning environment.

Skills

Experience working with youth in outdoor settings

Experience in a ranch setting

Background in experiential education

Knowledge of livestock and poultry

Familiarity with traditional arts and homesteading skills

Basic computer skills (Word, Excel, Google Drive)

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Guidestone Ranch & Homestead Experimental Educator

Minimum # of hours to complete term: 1200

HoursEnd Date: October 25, 2026

Program Overview

Localizing our food system is one of the most impactful and actionable steps we can take to solve so many of our global problems. Across the central Rocky Mountains and southwestern Colorado, AmeriCorps service with Mountain Roots Healthy Futures Program builds social, economic, and environmental health for rural communities. We work with organizations throughout the region who are leaders in their fields, activating community-driven initiatives including Farm to School, Regenerative Agriculture & Community Gardens, Hunger Solutions (Community Food Security), and other programs in public health, conservation, and the environment.

With Healthy Futures AmeriCorps, you’ll build a bridge from college to career while building and sustaining healthy communities, healthy people, and a healthy environment.

Organization Overview

Guidestone Colorado is dedicated to growing a vibrant agricultural future through education, community building and partnerships. Guidestone's programs provide a continuum of engagement for agricultural learning which enables community members of all ages to participate in meaningful experiences and gain practical skills. Our strategies and programming are founded on the belief that these experiences will ultimately lead to resilient local food systems, healthier youth, adults, and communities, and a vibrant for local agriculture.

Service Description

The Ranch & Homestead Experiential Educator will run education programs at the Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center and is a good fit for a member who is passionate about working with youth, supporting local agriculture, ranching, agricultural history, traditional arts and experiential education, and building connections in the community. The position offers space for a member’s creativity, through opportunities to help with agriculture-focused programs and incorporate arts and hands‑on traditional skills into the ranching curriculum. The position is focused on pioneer, homestead, and ranching education and includes exposure to fundraising, marketing, and farm and ranch production.

Guidestone operates the Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center with the vision of bringing the story of the land and history to life through events, programs, and community celebrations to create a dynamic living, historical, and cultural interpretation and agriculture education center that bridges the past to the future of agriculture in our community. The Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center provides a home base for Guidestone operations, is a primary site for Farmhands Youth Education Programs, and will continue to grow to support community events and agritourism opportunities in the Upper Arkansas Region.

Primary Responsibilities

E SSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Support all aspects of summer camp development, including descriptions, scheduling, and implementation for 1‑day and 3‑day camps for ages 5‑11 engaging kids in ranching, homesteading, traditional arts, history & storytelling, and animals to connect them with the land and agricultural traditions.
• Support the development and implementation of Spring Break programs, Friday enrichment, LittleSpurs preschool programs, after‑school programs, and school field trip programming at the Homestead.
• Assist with the development of teaching and interpretation materials.
• Ensure a safe, effective and positive learning environment, and empower students to connect to the land and learn about history, traditional arts and agriculture.
• Provide tours and visitor center support when open to the public.
• Assist with the development and implementation of community events, including AgriSummit, Pumpkin Patch, Music at the Mill, and other events at the Hutchinson Homestead and Hutchinson Ranch.

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS

• Support production activities at the Community & School Farm in the spring and fall as needed.
• Support Guidestone events and adult education, such as plant sales, open houses, and classes.

Location and Service Conditions

This position is based at the Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center and will potentially involve service at the Community & School Farm, Hutchinson Ranch, or other sites in the community to support community outreach events. The position will primarily involve days of service outdoors, with indoor space available in case of inclement weather. Co‑work office space is provided at the Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center.

Qualifications

• Experience working with youth in outdoor settings. Particularly with youth ages 5‑12.
• Experience working in a ranch setting.
• Background or experience with experiential education, environmental studies, livestock and/or poultry, traditional arts and homesteading skills.
• Passionate, patient, flexible, intelligent, creative, kind, caring, self‑motivated.
• Experience with Word, Excel, Google Drive suite of office management, or comparable computer skills.

Required Qualifications

• At least 17 years old at start of service.
• Must be a high school graduate, GED recipient, or working toward attaining a high school diploma or GED during the term of service. Members must obtain either a diploma or GED before using an education award.
• Be a citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States.
• Able to pass a National Service Criminal History Check (state, FBI, and National Sex Offender Public Website checks) per 45 CFR 2540.202.

Healthy Futures AmeriCorps Program Benefits

• AmeriCorps members will receive a bi‑weekly living allowance of $865.45 totaling $14,280.00 over the course of their service term.
• $5,176.50 – Education Award / Tuition Assistance – AmeriCorps Member(s) can receive an Education Award upon successful completion of service. This can be used to pay back student loans, or to further your education.
• Eligible Full Time AmeriCorps Members may receive healthcare benefits.
• A Member is considered eligible for healthcare benefits if Member is enrolled in a 1200‑hour or 1700‑hour service term (Three Quarter Term or Full Time Term).
• Members receive professional development and training, plus covered travel costs for attendance at state or regional conferences.
• Eligible AmeriCorps Members may receive childcare assistance. A Member is considered eligible for healthcare benefits if Member is enrolled in a 1700‑hour service term (Full Time Term).
• All members may be eligible for Federal program assistance (SNAP, Medicaid, etc.).
• All members may qualify for student loan forbearance (postponing the payment of loans) while in‑service term.
• Alumni benefits include priority hiring with organizations that are part of Employers of National Service and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to eliminate educational debt.

About the Living Allowance

An AmeriCorps Living Allowance is not a wage, salary, or hourly pay. You are enrolling in a SERVICE position, not a job. The Living Allowance is a stipend designed to support the basic necessities of the individual while in service, such as room and board, utilities, and transportation. Carefully consider this when applying.

About the Education Award

At the successful completion of your service term, you will earn a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. This award can be used in many ways to further your learning or reduce financial burdens related to education. Common uses include paying tuition at eligible colleges, universities, and technical schools, or repaying qualified student loans. There are also creative options you might not have considered: the award can be applied to approved study abroad programs, vocational training, or certification courses (such as EMT, wilderness first responder, or teaching credentials). Some members even transfer their award to a child or grandchild (if age 55+ at the time of service). You have up to seven years to use it, which gives flexibility to plan for what’s next. Remember, the Education Award is considered taxable income in the year it is used.

**Disclaimer: The duties and responsibilities described above are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee, time to time; the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.