Job Title: Environmental Educator

Organization Overview

Common Ground is a center for environmental learning in New Haven, Connecticut. Farm meets forest meets city on Common Ground’s 20 acre campus at the base of West Rock Ridge. The site abuts the 1800 acre West Rock State Park, sharing hiking trails, wildlife, and diverse natural habitats with the surrounding forests. Common Ground’s urban farm produces sustainably grown food for programs and our community and is home to our friendly farm animals. Common Ground’s Charter High School uses the site as an organizing principle of its curriculum which is guided by an ecological framework highlighting the connection and interdependence of all living and non-living things. Each year, more than 10,000 community members participate in festivals, field trips, after-school programs, and other educational opportunities on site. For more information visit www.commongroundct.org.

Job Description

School Year: From September through mid-June this position is primarily dedicated to teaching in any combination of programs for children and families that are offered by Common Ground. Optional work in summer camp is also available.

Current openings and available schedules will vary. Program descriptions are below and you can indicate all programs you are interested in via the online application form.

Our SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS welcome classes of children from local schools to Common Ground to connect with nature! We serve preK through 8th grade. Trip topics include hikes, farm to table pizza making, campfire cooking, farm tours, wetland science, nature based play, sheep and wool, maple sugaring, and other seasonal specialty topics. An outline and learning concepts are provided for each trip and field trip teachers also draw on their own knowledge of the natural world to enrich the participant experience. Field Trip staff set their availability and may be scheduled within their availability for 2 - 5 days per week (minimum availability of 2 mornings per week required). Staff typically work between 9:30 AM - 12 PM. Work in afternoon trips (between 12:30 - 2:30) may be available.

The KIDS UNPLUGGED AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM gets children in grades K - 8 playing and learning outside after school! This is primarily a play based program that includes both unstructured playtime and teacher directed activities and experiences as part of the program. Staff might supervise a campfire in the winter woods, lead a flashlight hike after sunset, cook with foods from the farm, facilitate imaginative play and fort building in the forest, work with children to walk goats and care for chickens, and many other kinds of nature based experiences! Teachers and Assistant Teachers work Monday - Friday, September through early June, from 2:30 - 6 PM. Schedules for fewer than 5 days per week may be available. Kids Unplugged takes place in all weather (unless programs are closed due to unsafe travel conditions), so we are seeking staff who are excited to embrace rain and snow as well as blue sky days.

The NATUREYEAR FOREST SCHOOL PROGRAM creates small communities of children and staff who learn and play in nature from Sept - June for one full day each week. Like Kids Unplugged, NatureYear operates outside in all (safe) weather. NatureYear is a full day, with children attending from 9 AM - 3 PM, so there is time for more structured, content based activities as well as for imagination, exploration, and play. NatureYear Teachers may have skills in a variety of areas including naturalist skills, cooking, building and tinkering, nature arts, cooperative games and community building, outdoor and survival skills, and more! NatureYear includes children ages 4.5 - 15+, so staff who are especially skilled with a specific age range (early childhood, elementary, middle school) are all needed. Assistant Teachers support children and activities and do not need to have the experience needed to plan and lead activities independently. Staff work 2 or more days per week from 8:30 AM - 4 PM.

Our SCHOOLYARDS work takes nature into local public schools! A typical Schoolyards Teacher schedule includes one or more full days per week at a local school. It is like being the art or gym teacher, but you get to be the nature specialist! Schoolyards Teachers plan and lead their own activities and often see all age groups at the school (elementary and middle) over their scheduled sessions. It is a great way to bring the joy of outdoor learning and exploration to local children who may not have the opportunity to come to our campus.

SEEDLINGS CLASS is for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with a parent or other caregiver. Seedlings Teachers offer themed classes focused on nature exploration, including hands-on activities, music, movement, and stories. Seedlings Teachers set their availability and may be scheduled within their availability for 2 - 5 days per week (minimum availability of 2 mornings per week required). Class is 9 - 10:30 AM and teachers typically work 8:30 - 11, with flexible paid planning time in addition. Seedlings Class is only offered for 8 weeks in fall and in spring, but additional work with young children is also available in our school field trips program.

Position requirements and responsibilities:

All positions:

Prior experience working with groups of children in formal or informal education and/or childcare settings
Strong behavior management skills, using student engagement, clear directions, and positive motivation as primary tools.
Use excellent communication skills, including speaking with children, adults, and coworkers.
Use strong critical thinking and problem solving skills and sound judgment as part of routine daily work.
Willingness to be flexible and work with the day’s teaching team to adapt plans to the ages, weather conditions, and other needs of the day
Commitment to working joyfully and inclusively with children and adults of all identities, with much of our work serving a racially and economically diverse urban community.
Commitment to child centered teaching and behavior management, with the ability and desire to consider and seek to meet the needs of individual children.
Work in a setting with farm animals as well as native wildlife including insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and birds.
Engage in the physical requirements of this role, including being physically active for the majority of a scheduled work shift, safely navigating outdoor terrain that includes uneven and unpaved surfaces, sitting on the ground, carrying a backpack with teaching supplies, and teaching outside in weather conditions including heat, rain, cold, and snow.
Verifiable record of consistent attendance and punctuality at previous workplaces

Field Trips:

Ability to enthusiastically engage groups of 12 - 25 children in nature based activities (typically with chaperones from the school present as well)
Basic content knowledge related to one or more of the areas that our field trips cover. Trip outlines are provided but naturalist knowledge to enrich the experience is helpful. Some Assistant Teacher roles may be available that support activities and do not require content based expertise.
Field trip hours can be variable and the happiest staff in this role are those who can work with a variable schedule that can include weeks with fewer hours and weeks that are very busy (within the limits of the availability that the staff person has defined).
Field trip shifts are typically 2 - 2.5 hours, including prep, leading the trip, and clean up. Please consider the shift duration in relationship to your commute to make sure it makes sense for your needs. We are in New Haven.

Kids Unplugged and NatureYear:

Significant experience with planning and leading nature based lessons and activities for groups of children (Assistant Teacher roles support these activities but are not responsible for planning or being the primary leader)
Experience in a role that has primary responsibility for for physical, social, and emotional safety of children in an outdoor, play based setting
Significant experience meeting social and emotional needs of children, including positive behavior management, setting group routines and group culture, and modifying to meet the needs of individual children.
Enthusiasm for both teacher led learning and for supervising play, imagination, and child-led activities, understanding that both of these are significant parts of the program.

Additional responsibilities:

This position is part of the Community Programs Team and is supervised by the Director of Community Programs. Additional position responsibilities include:

Participation in ongoing staff development and meetings as scheduled for the Environmental Education team (as possible within personal availability for meetings that may sometimes be outside of routine work hours)
Ongoing commitment to anti-bias and anti-racist work, including participation in professional development and implementation of any new curriculum, policies, or ways of working together and with our community.
Work to support the overall operations of the non-profit programs as needed and available. This may include animal care, maintenance of program teaching and play areas, garden care, and working in additional programs for children and families.

Compensation

Teacher positions pay $21/hr and Assistant Teacher positions pay $18/hr

This position is represented by Common Ground’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with UAW Local 2110.

To Apply

Complete the online application HERE and email a resume and letter of interest to Rebecca Holcombe at rholcombe@commongroundct.org.

Nondiscrimination Policy and Notice

Pursuant to Title IX and its regulations (“Final Rule” released on April 19, 2024), the Board of Directors has adopted and implemented a policy stating that the Common Ground District does not discriminate on the basis of sex and prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity it operates, including admission and employment. Common Ground High School does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, status as a veteran, status as a victim of domestic violence, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, protective hairstyles, alienage, ancestry, age, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law and prohibits discrimination, including harassment, in any education program or activity it operates. The Board shall provide protections from all forms of sex-based harassment, including sexual violence and unwelcome sex-based conduct that creates a hostile environment by limiting or denying a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from a school’s education program or activity. The Common Ground District shall take prompt and effective action to end any sex discrimination in its education programs or activities to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of sex discrimination complaints, prevent recurrence, and remedy its effects. To that end, the District shall act promptly and effectively in response to information about conduct that reasonably may constitute discrimination, including sexual violence and other forms of sex-based harassment. The district shall also ensure that all school employees are trained about their obligations to address sex discrimination and their obligations to notify or provide contact information for the Title IX Coordinator. The Common Ground Board of Directors Non-discrimination policy includes protections for students, employees, and applicants against discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, or recovery from these conditions and shall provide reasonable modifications for students based on pregnancy or related conditions, allow for lactation for employees, and access to a clean, private lactation space for students and employees. Common Ground shall not disclose personally identifiable information obtained through complying with Title IX, with limited exceptions, such as when there had been prior written consent or when the information is disclosed to the parent of a minor. Retaliation against anyone who, in good faith, makes a report of harassment or discrimination, files a complaint of harassment or discrimination, serves as a witness, or participates in an investigation or grievance process is also a violation of Common Ground District’s non-discrimination policy and is prohibited.

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