Seasonal Childrens Farmyard Educator
Seasonal Childrens Farmyard Educator
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Job Description
Position Title: SeasonalFarm Based Educator at the Childrens Farmyard
Supervisor:Farmyard Manager
Employee Status:Seasonal Full Time or PartTime
Location:Onsite (Farm Barn at Shelburne Farms: 1611 Harbor Rd Shelburne VT 05482
Employment dates: April 22 2025 October 22 2025
Hourly:$1617/hour
Work Schedule:45 days a week (including weekends and holidays)
Application Deadline:Positions are open until filled.
Who We Are
Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future. Our vision is cultivatinga healthy and just world rooted in stewardship and community through educational farmbased experiences and programs. Our Farm Store is a part of our mission. It allows our visitors to experience our Farm products discover other local farmbased goods and learn more about our mission and campus offerings. Our home campus is a 1400acre working farm located on the traditional unceded and contemporary homelands of the Winooskik band of the Abenaki.
What We Do
Engageyouth and people of all ages in learning experiences that inspire them to build just diverse resilient caring communities.
Stewardour working lands and heritage buildings as we embody values of place and community through caring for and sharing our natural agricultural cultural and human resources.
Collaboratewith educators and other local national and international partners to advance education for sustainability worldwide.
Who Were Looking for
We are currently seeking Farm Based Educators with exceptional guest service skills to work in the Childrens Farmyard. The farmyard is an outdoor educational space that is open to the public and school groups seven days a week May through October. The goal of this public program is to educate and connect visitors to agriculture in a safe engaging and handson environment. The farmyard is part of our campus that supports our mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future.
This is a 6 month position. If you are interested in summer education work please see the Summer Camp Educator job description.
What Youll Do
Lead safe engaging handson activities with our farm animals and gardens fostering connections between visitors and their food systems.
Welcome diverse audiences to the farmyard including day visitors school groups summer campers and more.
Orient visitors to Shelburne Farms its mission programs products and campus while providing exceptional guest services.
Bring the cheddar making process to life for visitors through interpretive education in our cheese making and information hub.
Clean animal yards barns and pens as well as visitor and education spaces.
Facilitate safe and educational animal interactions with visitors.
Care for our farm animals and garden while engaging visitors in your work. Animals include: sheep goats rabbits cows calves pigs chickens turkeys horses donkeys.
Support ongoing maintenance projects ex. string trimming fence maintenance.
Mentor Youth Work and Learn participants (ages 918 through positive rolemodeling.
Lead Sun To Cheese tours which are a 2 hour behind the scenes look at our dairy and cheesemaking operations.
Support a continuous effort to foster a culturally aware learning community open to multiple perspectives.
Communicate effectively with the team to create a respectful and open work environment.
Attend orientation training and staff meetings as required.
Day in the Life of a Farmyard Educator
Each morning staff gather to create a schedule of activities for the day followed by cleaning and preparing the farmyard for visitor arrival.
Approximate breakdown of daily duties:
30 Leading handson activities and presentations with visitors such as spinning sheeps wool into yarn bracelets hand milking one of our visiting dairy cows visiting our sheep in their pasture and afternoon animal chores.
30 Welcoming visitors and engaging them in conversations around our animals and gardens and their connection to agriculture and our food system as well as answering visitor questions about our campus mission history and products.
25 Bringing the cheddar making process to life for visitors through interpretive education in our cheese making and information hub.
15 Completing ongoing farm tasks such as deep cleaning barns moving portable fencing and string trimming
At the end of each day staff close down the farmyard return animals to their pastures and prepare the space for the following day.
Core Qualifications
Ability to participate in farmyard educator training from April 22 May 9.
Experience in education or public interpretation.
Basic knowledge/understanding of food and farm systems.
Committed to translating the values of equality into action as we foster a welcoming working and learning environment for all program participants guests and staff.
Have a positive attitude and remain flexible to changing program needs.
Able to handle challenging situations with a solutionoriented mindset and a calm demeanor.
Willingness to receive feedback and be open to learning and improvement.
Valid First Aid and CPR Certification (training provided).
A completed background check is a condition of employment as youre working with minors.
Work Environment & Physical Demands
Outdoor work environment with varied weather conditions.
Move over hilly and uneven terrain.
Work with and around large farm animals.
Lift and move items weighing up to 50 lbs periodically throughout the shift.
Exposure to farm animals hay bedding dust and animal manure.
Able to work weekends and holidays.
Benefits
To Apply
If our vision and mission excite you we hope you will share with us your experience and skill set that you feel would qualify you to make a contribution to the Farm.
Along with your resume please include responses to the following questions. These are not meant to be a writing exercise but to introduce yourself in a meaningful way.
In your application please include a response to the following:
- Why are you interested in this position
- How would you create a welcoming space for all visitors
- How did you hear about the position
Shelburne Farms is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we strongly stand against discrimination and harassment of any kind. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race color religion gender gender identity or expression sexual orientation national origin genetics disability age or veteran status.
If you need accommodations throughout the application process or have general questions please contact us ator.
Employment Type
Temp
