Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) seeks an assistant coordinator/senior instructor for implementation of year-round gardening programs for children ages 2-13 in BBG’s Children’s Garden. The assistant coordinator assists the Children’s Garden Coordinator in program development, scheduling program series, hiring and training seasonal staff and teen apprentices, and overseeing classes and horticulture within the Children’s Garden.

The assistant coordinator also coleads a gardening program for young-child caregivers two mornings per week and teaches an after-school gardening program to teens from a local high school in the spring and fall.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Help organize and implement year-round garden classes for preschool, elementary, and middle school children in the world-renowned Children’s Garden
• Direct teaching as a Trees and Saplings instructor for 2- and 3-year-olds with a caregiver on Wednesday and Thursday mornings in spring and fall
• Serve as a substitute instructor for Seeds (4- to 6-year-olds) and City Farmers (1st–8th graders) as needed
• Develop and teach after-school gardening program on Tuesdays in spring and fall to teenagers from BASE High School 
• Train and advise part-time seasonal instructors to provide hands-on, inquiry-based education programs based on seasonal garden and nature themes, to manage group behavior, and to mentor youth in the Garden Apprentices Program (GAP)
• Contribute to the ongoing development and delivery of a standard core curriculum for instruction of age-appropriate horticultural classes in the Children’s Garden programs
• Provide year-round horticultural maintenance and support for the children’s vegetable plots as well as ornamental and display beds within the one-acre garden
• Participate in development and delivery of a three-week training program for all BBG summer instructors in addition to a one-week summer training program for Tier 1 GAP youth 
• Help input and file registration paperwork for program participants
• Communicate with participants’ families/caregivers as needed
• Manage program supplies and plant materials
• Help with annual Children’s Garden events and garden-wide festivals as needed
• Aid in occasional maintenance and watering of the education greenhouse
• Provide other essential tasks as needed

Qualifications:

• BA or BS degree in education, environmental education, agriculture, botany, biology, or related field (master’s preferred)
• Significant direct experience teaching children and teens about gardening, nature, and science
• Experience in horticulture, preferably with food plants
• Strong interpersonal skills and keen interest and ease communicating with children, teens, and adults
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills; ability to work alone and as part of a team
• Ability to multitask and juggle many responsibilities
• Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, database systems
• Willingness to work a three-day overnight summer camping trip with students in Garden Apprentice Program Experience and comfort working with youth and staff from diverse backgrounds
• Must be fingerprinted and pass a background check for working with children
• Valid driver’s license a plus
• Ability to lift heavy objects and work outside and in greenhouses and gardens year-round
• Willingness to wear a uniform on program days
• Willingness to work regular work schedule of Tuesday–Saturday