Education Coordinator, Youth Programs at Queens Botanical Garden Society

Education Coordinator – Youth Programs

About QBG’s Youth Programs

QBG’s Youth Programs bring together youngsters ages 2 to 18 from around New York City to enjoy seasonal, hands-on learning and gardening experiences year-round. Our young gardeners explore concepts of ecological balance, sustainability, and conservation as they learn how to prepare soil, select seeds and plants, and care for and later harvest their own vegetables, flowers, and herbs that they turn into nutritious and delicious snacks in the classroom. We explore these concepts at age-appropriate levels throughout each season. We strive to create an immersive experience in all programs- a blend of structured and freeform exploration designed to provide children with the support they need to express their natural curiosity.

About This Role

The Youth Programs Coordinator will support the Youth Programs Manager in all aspects of the Children’s Garden (age 4-10) & Junior Naturalist (age 10-13) programs throughout the spring, summer and fall. This includes general day-to-day oversight of programs, instructors, and children, plus garden care. Programs take place in the Children’s Garden and World Farm, which include 35+ raised beds, and some in-ground planting areas.

Responsibilities include:

• Teach QBG environmental, art, sustainability and gardening programming to the standards set by QBG
• Assist with daily supervision of staff, interns, and volunteers
• Support general safety and management of children
• Help foster a safe and welcoming space for participants, interns, and instructors
• Support with administrative work, including: parent communications, documentation of incidents, taking photos, social media, and newsletters
• Provide program instruction to support staff breaks/ lunch time, and teach as a substitute for any instructor absences
• Assist in planning and leading training sessions for program instructors, interns, and volunteers
• Support Youth Programs Manager in curriculum development
• Assist with maintaining inventory, and pick up program supplies off-site as needed
• Day-to-day supervision of gardening interns and gardening work
• General garden maintenance including: weeding, mulching, pruning, raking, watering, mowing, weed whacking, transplanting, and propagation
• Operate and care for hand and power gardening tools and equipment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education, science, nutrition, or a related field
• At least 2 years of experience working with and teaching children, both with elementary and middle school aged children
• At least 1 year of experience in gardening and/ or farming
• Interest in ecology, environmental justice, food justice, and/ or related fields
• Experience supervising and teaching instructors and volunteers, a plus
• Have excellent communication and organizational abilities
• Comfortable working outdoors in various weather conditions
• Ability to lift up to 40lbs safely
• Ability to perform diverse, sometimes repetitive, tasks that can be physically demanding
• Reliable, responsible, and an enthusiastic leader
• Comfortable both working independently and taking direction
  

Schedule & Salary

This is a part-time seasonal position.

• April and May: 15 hours/ week
  • Saturdays 8am – 4 pm & Sundays 8am-5pm
• June: 15 hours/ week
  • Weekday training program for summer preparation
• July & August: 35 hours/ week
  • Mondays through Fridays, 830am – 430pm
• September to November: 15 hours/ week
  • Saturdays 8am – 4 pm & Sundays 8am-5pm

Salary: $25/hour

For consideration, please submit your resume, cover letter, and any relevant documents via our Career Center.

If you encounter difficulties with uploading documents to the portal, please send via email to hr@queensbotanical.org.

Health & Safety: proof of full Covid-19 vaccination required for employment.

Queens Botanical Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). The Garden does not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, ethnicity, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, national origin, disability (physical or mental), age, marital status, veteran/active military service member status, political affiliation, mental illness, socioeconomic status or background, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, genetic information, immigration or citizenship status, status as victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking, arrest or conviction record, pre-employment marijuana testing, sexual and reproductive health decisions, employment/unemployment status, salary history, credit history, marital/partnership stratus, caregiver status, height and weight, or any other legally protected status. Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact Human Resources via email or phone 718-886-3800 x 203.