Forest School Teacher and Environmental Educator

FULL JOB DESCRIPTION and SALARY SCALE

The setting: 

Our campus is full of opportunities for learning! Our FARM features a children’s garden, production fields, greenhouses, farm animals, and honeybees. Our FOREST includes trails, wildlife, and diverse natural habitats. Our CAMPUS opportunities include a wetland full of wildlife and a winter maple sugaring operation as well as PLAY SPACES including mud kitchens, fort building, large and small loose parts play, slides, cabins for gathering and for camping, campfire meeting circles, an indoor teaching kitchen, and classroom, and a children’s woodshop.

Our students: 

Our programs for children and families serve all ages. Drop-off programs include ages 4–14, with ages 5–9 representing our largest age group. Inclusive community is core to our values and our students and families are diverse in many ways. 

Our team: 

Our environmental educator team is about 10 full-time and 20 part-time staff during the school year, growing to 80+ for seasonal summer programs. Our team’s professional backgrounds include a variety of formal and informal education and youth development work, plus a shared love for and knowledge of nature and outdoor skills. Our team represents many personal identities and life experiences and we value having a team that reflects our belief that nature is for everyone.

The opportunity:

We count on our full-time Environmental Educators to be the stable core of our work – the knowledge holders, mentors, and leaders who form relationships with families, children, and our place over time. This is not a seasonal outdoor education job! Our ideal applicant is seeking connection and community and is looking for a role they can stay in for at least two years. Many of our team have been with us for 5–10 years!

During the school year, this position is primarily assigned to teaching in the NatureYear program. NatureYear connects small groups of children (ages 5 – 13) with weekly full-day outdoor learning from Sept – June. NatureYear teachers offer lessons and experiences that follow the seasons and the interests of the children. Teachers provide content-based learning about science, nature, and the environment as well as facilitate and create opportunities for adventure and imagination-based play. NatureYear is conducted almost entirely outdoors in all weather, with indoor spaces typically used only in severe weather. 

From mid-June through mid-August this position works in a teaching or administrative position with summer camp. 

How to apply:

Complete the online form HERE and email a resume and letter of interest to rholcombe@commongroundct.org

Application deadline: November 18, 2022 for first-round consideration. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.