Common Ground is Seeking Early Childhood Garden Educator

Job Description:
Common Ground is seeking an experienced early childhood educator to conduct garden and nutrition based activities for children ages birth through four. Garden lessons will happen in the backyard gardens of home-based daycare providers who each care for up to six children. The educator will visit each home based daycare provider once per week and will engage children in garden, nutrition, and nature based activities. The educator will also help the day care provider learn how to conduct his or her own lessons and activities using the garden and outdoor learning space. The garden educator provides basic garden care during the visit – weeding, watering, pruning, and trouble-shooting as needed, and communicates with the daycare provider about tasks that should be done before the next visit.

A typical one hour visit might be structured as follows:

• Greet provider and children, set up activity in garden
• Help provider get children ready for outside time
• Lead and model garden based activity (approx. 30 minutes) for a mixed age group of children (birth through four). Emphasis on senses, exploration, and awareness, with modification for each age group.
• Assess current garden needs, do some basic garden maintenance
• Complete weekly log sheet to share with provider before leaving: suggestions for activities later in the week, notes about necessary garden maintenance or chores that need to be done.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience working with children in formal or informal settings
• Knowledge of child development and experience with designing activities for children ages birth through four
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals from diverse communities and cultures
• Interest in and basic knowledge of the natural world and small scale/backyard vegetable gardening
• Strong demonstrated ability to work independently and take initiative to problem solve, communicate, and take primary leadership of a program
• Reliable transportation – this position requires daily travel throughout the greater New Haven area
• Spanish fluency strongly preferred

Job Details:

• May 2013 – October 2013
• 10 hours per week. The specific schedule is to be determined, but will most likely be each weekday morning from 10 AM – 12 PM.
• Location: Common Ground, 358 Springside Ave, New Haven, CT 06515. This job requires daily travel (Mon – Fri) and will only come to Common Ground for meetings, approximately every 2 weeks.
• Salary: $16.50/hour

To Apply:

• Email a resume and a cover letter describing your interest and your relevant experience to Rebecca Holcombe: rholcombe@commongroundct.org. 
• Applications accepted until the position is filled.