At Ground Education, the natural world is our classroom, where we can learn to mutually thrive on the Earth we all share. We are a growing nonprofit with a passion for bringing high-quality, inspiring, nature-based lessons to every elementary student as part of their school day. We currently provide 22 elementary schools, 2 Boys & Girls Club Sites and nearly 14,000 students in the Long Beach Unified School District with edible and native plant learning gardens and teach hands-on lessons that nurture every student’s academic, physical and emotional well-being.
Come join our team! GroundEd is a fun and growing organization!
We are looking for a passionate, mission-driven individual to help build, support and maintain our edible gardens and nature play areas.
If you would like to join an up-beat, driven, and fun culture and share our vision to have elementary students exploring, thinking and learning in nature spaces and want to help us grow, we look forward to hearing from you.
Job Details:
Visit school sites regularly and keep our edible garden spaces kid-ready.
Perform reasonable repairs/upkeep of our raised planting beds, irrigation, fencing, seating spaces and compost systems.
Create, install and maintain our green schoolyard/nature play areas (plant, water and tend native plants/lay walking paths/weed whack).
Develop relationships with Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) staff at our school sites and district-wide.
Facilitate new garden builds; includes site prep, securing materials, and building garden beds.
Coordinate with our vendors for soil, mulch, lumber and irrigation.
Make hand washing stations for our sites using our pvc-based template.
Communicate regularly with our Garden Educators via slack to share garden needs, observations, and ideas.
Successful candidates will:
Most importantly, be a team player!
Successfully complete Live Scan fingerprint/background check and TB test.
Have experience with garden maintenance tools such as saws, sanders, irrigation controls and weed whackers
Have 1-2 years education and/or relevant work experience in horticulture.
Have creative problem-solving skills.
Have excellent oral communication skills.
Have personal skills including dependability, integrity, flexibility, and a willingness to get dirty.
Be able to organize work, take initiative, function independently.
Be able to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
Must be able to lift 50 pounds and work in an outside environment that is often hot.
Have reliable transportation to our 22+ garden sites.
Be flexible with work schedule as changes may occur due to program needs and issues in the garden that may arise (such as repairs)
Schedule
This position is part time, approximately 12-15 hours per week. Flexible 15 hour/week schedule that will involve visiting multiple school sites each workday.
Compensation
$18/hr following the LBUSD school calendar (i.e., working approximately 40 weeks each school year between August and June)
How to Apply: Send cover letter and resume to kiley@groundeducation.org
EEO Statement
At GroundEd we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our services, and our community. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and staff. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities we serve.
We welcome applications from people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, and we encourage applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, bilingual and bicultural individuals, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. Ground Education is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is committed to compliance with all fair employment practices.
If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at info@groundeducation.org or call us at (562) 682-4703.
To apply for this job email your details to kiley@groundeducation.org