Supervisory Educator

Waltham Fields Community Farm
240 Beaver St. Waltham MA 02452 www.communityfarms.org

Position Title: Supervisory Educator

Job Description online: https://communityfarms.org/docs/FY25_Supervisory_Educator_Job_Description.pdf

Employment Dates: ongoing - December 31, 2025
Reports to: Director of Education and Community Engagement

About Our Organization

Community Farms Outreach dba Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF) was founded in 1995 as a nonprofit501(c)3 charitable organization with a mission of hunger relief, education, and farm preservation. WFCF cultivates sustainable and equitable relationships between people, their food supply, and the land from which it grows. We envision communities with equitable access to the beauty, sanctuary, and food of local, sustainable farms.

Position Description

The Supervisory Educator consistently supports and delivers seasonal, outdoor, farm-based education programs for a diverse community of youth and adult learners participating in WFCF Education and Enrichment Programs. These programs include WFCF’s four recurring, on-farm “perennial programs” (Little Sprouts, After School, Teen Corps, Summer on the Farm ) in addition to other programs, field trips, school visits, workshops, and occasional participation in educational outreach at fairs, farmers’ markets, and events. The Supervisory Educator works collaboratively and independently year-round to plan, promote, prepare, facilitate registration for, set up, deliver, and break down WFCF’s Education and Enrichment Programs throughout all four seasons of programming. We seek individuals with a high level of accountability, passion for our mission, and interest in educating, inspiring, and growing the community of learners we serve through our farm-based, experiential education programs for learners of all ages.

Responsibilities

• Supervise participants and facilitate programs for the duration of the designated program season(s) both independently and with the education team.
• Assist with the direct, daily supervision and management of the seasonal summer education team, including lead educators and assistant educators, with guidance from the Director of Education & Community Engagement.
• Collaborate with supervisor, education team, and guest instructors to facilitate programs, focusing on the unique features of each season as it unfolds, including observing plants, animals, bugs and insects, exploring the food harvested each season and culinary arts to develop a more intimate relationship between participants and the land we steward with a focus on community building at all times.
• Work with supervisor to develop and document age-appropriate curricula from existing WFCF curriculum resources; design and suggest new activities and lessons to create a program schedule of activities, recipes, games, songs, books, and projects for each season of the 4 above mentioned programs, seasonally. Lessons to be approved by the supervisor prior to s each season. Templates provided.
• Perform and instruct learners to complete gardening tasks from a predetermined list to maintain the educational components of the educational growing spaces as part of most program sessions.
• Implement emergent curriculum and experiential learning strategies to facilitate hands-on learning.
• Prepare materials for each program session as needed, including program area, project or activity setup and break down, creating visual aids, or other material preparation before and after each session.
• Identify and support lour diverse community of learners in exploring their unique, emerging interests through play and hand-on activities, applying experiential learning and emergent curriculum methodology.
• Supervise and assist with management of food safety, maintaining a hazard-free programming spaces and other areas of the farm reserved for education programs, and the health/safety of all participants during program hours following all protocols and procedures to meet health and safety standards.
• Participate in continued maintenance of the outdoor learning areas to ensure compliance with standards at all times during active programming seasons.
• Interact with program participants, including caregivers and parents, in an enthusiastic and friendly manner.
• Assist with record-keeping and attendance management for your scheduled programs, including sign-in and sign-out procedures and adjustments to sign in rosters.
• Assist supervisor with the set up, management, and troubleshooting of education events in the online registration system (Neon CRM). Communicate with registering parents and caregivers.
• Communicate with parents as their first contact at drop off and pick up. Relay necessary information to the Director of Education.
• Complete and/or ensure the proper completion of reports as needed including incident/injury reports, attendance/registration reports, or other documentation required for education programs.
• Support promotions and social media management by documenting program sessions in photos or short video clips, manage photo permissions with the WFCF Director of Education, upload and label after each program session, and assist with social media promotions as needed (training provided).
• Assist with in-person promotions to increase awareness and accessibility of all Education & Enrichment programs throughout the Waltham community and beyond.
• Meet with supervisor on a weekly basis to receive support, ensure deadlines are met and weekly reports are up to date, and to continue refining process and program delivery.

Qualifications

• Commitment to the mission of WFCF, a working understanding of the complex factors surrounding sustainable agriculture, food access, food insecurity, and food equity, and a high value for the dignity of the community we serve.
• Must be 21 years of age or older.
• At least 2 years experience working in the field of child care, early childhood education, environmental education, agriculture, classroom or out-of-school-time pre-K programs, and/or outdoor learning settings,or related field.
• Enthusiasm for early childhood, youth education and adult education, and developing relationships between participants, the natural world, and their local, community-driven food systems.
• Understanding of emergent, interdisciplinary, student-led, hands-on learning models as related to early childhood education and human growth and development, or willingness to learn.
• Knowledge or experience with organic gardening, sustainable farming, or willingness to learn.
• Must successfully complete paid staff training and utilize learning including: the cultural and natural history of this land, sustainable and organic agriculture, communication, group management, health and safety, teaching techniques, and curriculum development.
• Efficiency using MS Office, Google Suite, and Canva preferred.
• Outstanding organizational and communication skills and strong writing skills.
• Experience and ease with conducting group meetings, leading tours and workshops, and public speaking.
• Must pass CORI and hold current CPR/First Aid certification. Both items can be obtained through WFCF.

Terms of Employment

This is a part-time, non-exempt (hourly) position, with specific hours varying according to the FY25 schedule set forth in the Job Offer in order to meet the education program schedule and organizational needs. Schedule varies with each season. Each year, employees are required to provide necessary documentation including, but not limited to, a copy of their driver’s license, documentation for the I-9 form.

All education staff must pass a CORI background check before their first day of program delivery. WFCF requires adherence to our wellness protocols, including precautions to avoid transmission of bacterial and viral infections.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this position. This job description is a list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position. Please note: Nothing in this document restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. WFCF is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

Send resume and cover letter to Jessica Herwick, Director of Education and Community Engagement jessica@communityfarms.org