ABOUT GREEN PLATE SPECIAL

Green Plate Special (GPS)’s mission is to inspire and empower youth to experience food in new ways through gardening, cooking and eating together. Located in Seattle’s Rainier Valley, we offer a garden to table curriculum-based program primarily for 4^th to 8^th grade youth. Founded in 2011, GPS connects an urban garden with a home-focused kitchen classroom that , we have grown rapidly, increasing our programming opportunities for youth and families, and establishing many partnerships with schools and organizations in our community. The Garden and Kitchen Program Educator will take a leadership position within our highly productive team.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Garden and Kitchen Program Educator will be responsible for planning curriculum and teaching classes in GPS’s garden and kitchen classroom. He/she will be responsible for overseeing use of supplies and equipment in the kitchen classroom and garden, as well as maintaining the health and organization of the equipment and spaces. He/she will collaborate with GPS’s Garden Coordinator to create a planting and maintenance plan that supports our curriculum. In addition to hands-on teaching, the Garden and Kitchen Program Educator will facilitate communication with families and youth to encourage participation in programs, as well as communicate with and recruit volunteers.

The Garden and Kitchen Program Educator is a new position for Green Plate Special. There is an opportunity to create new best practices for teaching in the garden and kitchen, while maintaining the curriculum that has already been successful in Green Plate Special classes and camps. They will be part of a team working towards continuous programming improvement.

This position is based on the GPS Program Site and is a full-time position. Since this position requires some travel to off-site locations within the Seattle area, a reliable form of transportation is required for yourself and any required teaching materials.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Enhance and strengthen current lesson plans and curriculum
• Recruit, and support volunteers. This includes planning and leading a quarterly volunteer training session and leading volunteer work parties.
• Communicate with parents and families signed up for classes and camps
• Responsible for reporting on youth attendance and engagement during all classes and camps.
• Attend community and school meetings that offer opportunities for collaboration
• Work closely with schools and partner programs to continue developing and adapting curriculum to fit their needs and support STEM and/or Common Core State Standards
• Oversee use and purchase of supplies and equipment for the kitchen
• Share in daily garden and chicken care, including Friday garden work days as needed
• Share in daily and weekly kitchen and office maintenance
• Work with the Executive Director to strengthen program evaluations
• Work with the Executive Director on student assessments and surveys to assess program quality and efficacy in compliance with WA State Out of School Program Quality Assessments (PQA’s)
• Other duties as required
• Some evenings and weekends are required; hours may vary depending on program and event needs

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A college degree and 3-5 years’ experience working with youth in a school or educational out-of-school setting. Experience working with youth in grades 4-8 strongly preferred
• 3-5 years’ experience in food gardens and/or youth garden education required. Knowledge of best practices for gardening education desired
• Strong foundation and comfort level in cooking techniques, knife skills, recipe reading and world cuisine and or culinary school/professional experience. Knowledge of best practices for cooking education desired
• Strong in communication, organization, and collaboration
• Independent work ethic
• Competency in Microsoft Office, Excel and online research. Experience in Salesforce a plus
• Experience managing a budget

Green Plate Special does not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, socio-economic status, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, ancestry, ethnicity, marital status, differences in ability, or military status.