Garden Coordinator

~ CitySprouts is a nonprofit school garden organization that partners with public schools in Boston and Cambridge to integrate academic and environmental education in the schools and neighborhood. ~

CitySprouts provides its partner schools with on-site gardens that function as outdoor classrooms; on-going maintenance and development of these outdoor classroom gardens; support to teachers in integrating their classroom curricula outside to the school garden; and in Cambridge, a summer internship program for youth ages 11-13.

Position Overview

The Garden Coordinator is a seasonal position, spring through fall. The Garden Coordinator maintains the physical space, supports teachers' use of the garden for teaching during the school year, and leads one section of the 8-week summer youth internship program.

The Garden Coordinator is responsible for four school partners, allocating approximately 8 hours/week to each school with additional time each week for team projects. 

The start date for this 40 hrs/week positon is July 21, 2014. 

Responsibilities 

Maintain schools' outdoor classroom gardens as an educational resource for teachers and the school community: 

• Maintain an attractive & functional garden space with a variety of edible crops, flowers, native species, and specialty plants throughout the growing season, using best practices in organic gardening
• Ensure that teachers and other community members have access to the school garden resources 

Encourage & support teachers' use of the CitySprouts garden for instruction: 

• Serve as the garden "expert" to the school community
• Coordinate use of the growing space for teachers, school staff and community partners, ensuring that children at all grade levels have access to garden experience
• Provide technical support to teachers as they develop garden-based extensions to classroom lessons and units
• Document teachers' garden use at each school 

Develop team approach to four partner schools: 

• Coordinate service to each school partner to maximize support to teachers, out-of-school time opportunities for children and youth

Lead teams of middle school youth in CitySprouts summer program: 

• Teach gardening and cooking skills and environmental science to school-based teams of youth in 5th, 6th, 7th nad 8th grades
• Mentor a college student intern in CitySprouts summer program, helping him or her develop garden educator and leadership skills 

Qualifications 

• Experience teaching children in a public school setting, preferably outdoor education
• Experience working with middle school-aged youth
• Experience managing a food-growing garden
• Experience managing staff or mentoring interns and volunteers
• Working knowledge of organic gardening practices
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Ability to do physical work outside
• Access to a car or truck for occasional use 

Compensation: Base pay for this postion is $17 per hour. 

To Apply  

Please click below: "Apply Now Online!" to email your resume, cover letter and 2 references to Jane Hirschi, before the position closing date of June 6th.