Seasonal Children's Farmyard Educator

Shelburne Farms; Shelburne (VT); On-site; USD 10,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking passionate Farm Based Educators to inspire and educate visitors at a vibrant Children’s Farmyard. This seasonal role offers the chance to engage with diverse audiences and foster connections to agriculture through hands-on experiences. Responsibilities include leading activities with farm animals, providing guest services, and maintaining a welcoming environment. Join a mission-driven organization dedicated to sustainability and community engagement, where your contributions will make a meaningful impact on visitors of all ages. If you are enthusiastic about education and the outdoors, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Experience in education or public interpretation is essential.
• Ability to handle challenging situations with a calm demeanor.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on activities with farm animals and gardens.
• Welcome diverse audiences and provide exceptional guest services.
• Mentor youth participants through positive role-modeling.

Skills

Guest Service Skills

Education or Public Interpretation Experience

Knowledge of Food and Farm Systems

Positive Attitude

Solution-Oriented Mindset

Education

First Aid and CPR Certification

Job description

Position Title: Seasonal Farm Based Educator at the Children’s Farmyard

Supervisor: Farmyard Manager

Employee Status: Seasonal, Full Time or Part-Time

Hourly: $16-17/hour

Work Schedule: 4-5 days a week (including weekends and holidays)

Application Deadline: Positions are open until filled.

Who We Are

Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. Our vision is cultivating a healthy and just world rooted in stewardship and community through educational, farm-based experiences and programs. Our Farm Store is a part of our mission. It allows our visitors to experience our Farm products, discover other local farm-based goods, and learn more about our mission and campus offerings. Our home campus is a 1,400-acre working farm located on the traditional, unceded, and contemporary homelands of the Winooskik band of the Abenaki.

What We Do

Engage youth and people of all ages in learning experiences that inspire them to build just, diverse, resilient, caring communities.

Steward our working lands and heritage buildings as we embody values of place and community through caring for and sharing our natural, agricultural, cultural, and human resources.

Collaborate with educators and other local, national, and international partners to advance education for sustainability worldwide.

Who We’re Looking for

We are currently seeking Farm Based Educators with exceptional guest service skills to work in the Children’s Farmyard. The farmyard is an outdoor educational space that is open to the public and school groups seven days a week, May through October. The goal of this public program is to educate and connect visitors to agriculture in a safe, engaging, and hands-on environment.

This is a 6 month position. If you are interested in summer education work, please see the Summer Camp Educator job description.

What You’ll Do

1. Lead safe, engaging, hands-on activities with our farm animals and gardens, fostering connections between visitors and their food systems.
2. Welcome diverse audiences to the farmyard including day visitors, school groups, summer campers, and more.
3. Orient visitors to Shelburne Farms - its mission, programs, products, and campus - while providing exceptional guest services.
4. Bring the cheddar making process to life for visitors through interpretive education in our cheese making and information hub.
5. Clean animal yards, barns, and pens as well as visitor and education spaces.
6. Facilitate safe and educational animal interactions with visitors.
7. Care for our farm animals and garden while engaging visitors in your work. Animals include: sheep, goats, rabbits, cows, calves, pigs, chickens, turkeys, horses, donkeys.
8. Support ongoing maintenance projects - ex. string trimming, fence maintenance.
9. Mentor Youth Work and Learn participants (ages 9-18) through positive role-modeling.
10. Lead Sun To Cheese tours which are a 2 hour behind the scenes look at our dairy and cheesemaking operations.
11. Support a continuous effort to foster a culturally aware learning community, open to multiple perspectives.
12. Communicate effectively with the team to create a respectful and open work environment.
13. Attend orientation, training, and staff meetings as required.

Day in the Life of a Farmyard Educator

Each morning, staff gather to create a schedule of activities for the day, followed by cleaning and preparing the farmyard for visitor arrival.

Approximate breakdown of daily duties:

1. 30% Leading hands-on activities and presentations with visitors such as spinning sheep's wool into yarn bracelets, hand milking one of our visiting dairy cows, visiting our sheep in their pasture, and afternoon animal chores.
2. 30% Welcoming visitors and engaging them in conversations around our animals and gardens and their connection to agriculture and our food system, as well as answering visitor questions about our campus, mission, history, and products.
3. 25% Bringing the cheddar making process to life for visitors through interpretive education in our cheese making and information hub.
4. 15% Completing ongoing farm tasks such as deep cleaning barns, moving portable fencing, and string trimming.

At the end of each day, staff close down the farmyard, return animals to their pastures, and prepare the space for the following day.

Core Qualifications

1. Ability to participate in farmyard educator training from April 22 - May 9.
2. Experience in education or public interpretation.
3. Basic knowledge/understanding of food and farm systems.
4. Committed to translating the values of equality into action as we foster a welcoming working and learning environment for all program participants, guests, and staff.
5. Have a positive attitude and remain flexible to changing program needs.
6. Able to handle challenging situations with a solution-oriented mindset and a calm demeanor.
7. Willingness to receive feedback and be open to learning and improvement.
8. Valid First Aid and CPR Certification (training provided).
9. A completed background check is a condition of employment as you’re working with minors.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

1. Outdoor work environment with varied weather conditions.
2. Move over hilly and uneven terrain.
3. Work with and around large farm animals.
4. Lift and move items weighing up to 50 lbs periodically throughout the shift.
5. Exposure to farm animals, hay, bedding, dust, and animal manure.

If our vision and mission excite you, we hope you will share with us your experience and skill set that you feel would qualify you to make a contribution to the Farm.

Along with your resume, please include responses to the following questions. These are not meant to be a writing exercise but to introduce yourself in a meaningful way.

1. Why are you interested in this position?
2. How would you create a welcoming space for all visitors?
3. How did you hear about the position?

Shelburne Farms is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we strongly stand against discrimination and harassment of any kind. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

If you need accommodations throughout the application process or have general questions, please contact us at [e-mail] or 802-985-8686.