Seasonal Early Childhood Lead Instructor, Children's Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden • New York, NY

25d • $25

About The Position

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Children’s Education programs are renowned for teaching hands-on gardening and plant science to children. The early childhood lead instructor will guide children to learn how to grow, maintain, and harvest vegetables, herbs, and flowers, make simple recipes with garden produce, care for the environment, and explore the natural world. The early childhood lead instructor will oversee and co-teach the Trees and Saplings program for toddlers and their caregivers during spring and fall. The lead instructor will also develop and teach summer drop-off programming for ages 4–5. This includes horticulture and bed maintenance, cleanup, lesson planning, acquiring grocery items, preparing simple snacks, and gathering and prepping program supplies. The lead instructor will also assist with other educational programming as needed. This position is 4 days a week, 26–30 hours per week, March 17 through October 31, 2026. During spring and fall, the schedule is Wednesday through Saturday. During summer, the schedule is Tuesday through Friday.

Requirements

• Formal or nonformal early-childhood or elementary education experience, ideally in a classroom or outdoor setting
• Comfort leading imaginative play, singing songs, cooking, and exploring nature with young children ages 2–5
• Passion for plants and gardening
• Ability to perform physical labor and work outdoors in various weather conditions
• Outgoing and welcoming personality; responsible, punctual, and professional
• Experience and comfort working with a diverse group of youth and staff
• Willingness to incorporate constructive feedback into lesson planning, garden maintenance, and teaching practice
• Flexibility to take on a variety of tasks; ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative environment

Nice To Haves

• Horticulture experience preferred but not required

Responsibilities

• Design, prepare, and teach hands-on gardening lessons to a group of 10 young children (2–4 years old) and their adult partners.
• Design, prepare, and teach hands-on gardening lessons to a group of 12 children ages 4–5 on their own.
• Develop and lead supplementary enrichment activities such as seasonal cooking, nature crafts and science exploration.
• Mentor two to three teen apprentices and a program assistant who assist instructors with their group.
• Ensure that assigned garden plots are maintained (including planting, weeding, mulching, watering, and more).
• Prepare, set up, and clean up all program materials.
• Acquire, inventory, and order supplies and groceries for weekly lessons.
• Assist in teaching other education programs as needed.

Benefits

• BBG offers certain benefits to part-time employees including:
• Up to 56 hours of sick leave
• Short-term disability/New York Paid Family Leave
• As a 501(c)3, BBG is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Eligible Employer
• Museum Pass, which provides employees the opportunity to enter many museums in New York City for free

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees