Part-Time Garden & Volunteer Coordinator
About Verner
For over 20 years, Verner Center for Early Learning has been a leader in more ways than one: our commitment to developing the youngest among us, our thorough support for families and communities, and our investment in the development of educators. Verner’s centers provide a supportive work environment, with a strong emphasis on one-on-one mentorship. Verner staff are expected to foster the supportive, play-based, interactive and reflective learning atmosphere that families have come to expect of us. Ideal applicants are open-minded and willing to grow and learn about innovative child development and family engagement best practices. Our unique benefits package includes tuition assistance, paid training, and comprehensive therapeutic support. All Verner educators are also entitled to freshly prepared and complimentary breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, courtesy of our Rainbow in My Tummy® nutrition program.
Job Description
This position will support Verner’s mission of delivering high-quality early childhood education by enhancing outdoor learning experiences in Verner’s Experiential Gardens and North Carolina Outward Bound (VEG!). By developing a seasonal garden plan, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, and maintaining garden beds, the VEG! Coordinator volunteer will improve the vitality and accessibility of the garden, ensuring it’s a lasting feature in the Verner experience. This is a part-time position working 20 hours per week.
Responsibilities
- Develop and oversee seasonal planting plans
- Manage ongoing garden task list for classes and volunteers
- Recruit and organize VEG! volunteers
- Lead monthly garden times
- Assist in the design and construction of garden project
- Water, cultivate, transplant, weed, and harvest garden beds while prioritizing the space as a learning environment for children under the age of 4
- Maintain garden paths
- Spread mulch
- Organize, clean, and maintain the Garden Shed and the garden tools
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- A high school diploma or G.E.D.
- Gardening experience (seeding, weeding, harvesting, identifying weeds and stages in plant development)
- Physical ability to spend 2-6 hours a week on your feet on uneven terrain and move frequently from standing to kneeling
- Able to prioritize among several tasks
- Comfortable developing a seasonal planting plan and identifying garden tasks
- Small-group/volunteer management
- Knowledge of safe tool use
- Landscape and/or construction experience is favorable
- Physically able to lift at least 30 lbs., kneel, stoop, & bend
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls, talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands or arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.