Career Opportunities

Garden and Nutrition Educator

Oak Park Unified School District

About Oak Park Unified School District:

Oak Park Unified School District consists of eight schools located in the Oak Park community. Established in 1977, today it serves 4,500 students in grades Preschool-12. This is a grant-funded position beginning in March 2025 and ending in December 2026, with a possibility for extension.

About Ventura County Farm to School:

VCF2S is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to promoting environmental, agricultural, and nutrition education. We support school garden programs and connect local farms to Ventura County schools. Our programs currently reach thousands of students within seven school districts, while our long-term goal is to provide nutrition and garden education for students in every school in Ventura County.

Position Overview:

Under the direction of the Executive Director and in close collaboration with OPUSD’s Director of Student Nutrition and Wellness, the Garden and Nutrition Educator will coordinate and lead OPUSD’s garden and nutrition programs. Specific program responsibilities include:

School Garden Program- Coordinate OPUSD’s garden program by leading lessons and activities to plant, harvest, and maintain edible and native plants. Manage school garden food safety plan and coordinate garden harvests for use in cafeteria meals. Organize volunteer work days for large garden projects. Serve as a resource to connect teachers to standards-aligned garden based curriculum.

Nutrition and Cooking Education: Coordinate nutrition and cooking education lessons in OPUSD that feature locally grown seasonal fruits and vegetables, while connecting students to the cafeteria as a daily source of nutrition and wellness. Coordinate family cooking events that celebrate OPUSD’s diverse families and features culturally relevant recipes. Coordinate activities to connect students to the school meal program, such as taste testing new recipes, kitchen tours, and recipe and art contests.

Farmer of the Month- Connect with VCF2S Food Hub Farmers to teach students about the local fruits and vegetables served in OPUSD school meal programs, during classroom lessons and cafeteria tasting activities. Coordinate farm field trips for students to have hands-on experiences learning about local agriculture.

Student Leadership- Collaborate with the afterschool programs and teachers to establish and work with student clubs that participate in garden activities, cooking lessons, and farm to school projects to provide leadership opportunities for students.

Essential Duties:

Coordinate and lead the educational program activities for OPUSD nutrition, cooking, and garden education programs. Monitor instructional activities to assure alignment with curriculum standards and program goals and objectives.
Maintain school gardens through coordinating community and school gardening days and communicate garden needs to OPUSD and VCF2S leadership.
Establish and maintain program timelines and priorities in accordance with the 2024 CDFA Farm to School Incubator Grant.
Research current trends, new resources and curriculum to monitor best practices in farm to school, nutrition, cooking, and environmental education programs.
Collaborate with community partners, parents, students, teachers, school administrators, state and national organizations, and universities to provide exceptional educational opportunities and resources for students.
Plan and coordinate field trips to provide alternative educational experiences that enhance student learning in the areas of agriculture, environmental science, and nutrition.
Collect and analyze data related to program participation and write reports as needed.
Track program expenditures and follow established procurement policies and procedures.
Prepare monthly grant invoices and quarterly grant reports.

Other Duties: Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in a related field required, training in education, botany, or nutrition preferred.
Experience: Five years’ experience in an educational setting, preferably in the areas of outdoor/environmental education, agriculture, or nutrition and culinary education. Direct teaching experience is a plus.

Abilities:
Knowledge of gardening, landscaping, plant maintenance
Familiarity with nutritional concepts
Cooking skills
Strong communication and organizational skills
Thrives while working both independently and in a team environment
Detail-oriented
Project and event planning and management
Efficient with great time management skills
Creative thinker
Problem-solver with positive approach to challenges
Demonstrates initiative to learn and grow
Able to manage competing priorities and adhere to deadlines
Establish and maintain positive working relationships with a broad range of individuals and communities
Deliver instruction and curriculum to diverse student populations and age groups

Working Conditions: Indoor and outdoor work environments

Physical Abilities:
Dexterity of hands to use computer and telephone
Lift objects up to 25lbs
Sitting or standing for extended periods of time
Hearing and speaking to exchange information
Write legibly

Licenses and Other Requirements:
Valid California Drivers’ License
Livescan background check

To Apply: Please send a cover letter, resume and three letters of recommendation to anna@vcfarmtoschool.org by 5pm on February 14th, 2025.