Director of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden- New York City
Director of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
MISSION
The New York Botanical Garden is an advocate for the plant kingdom. The Garden pursues its mission through its role as a museum of living plant collections arranged in gardens and landscapes across its National Historic Landmark site; through its comprehensive education programs in horticulture and plant science; and through the wide-ranging research programs of the International Plant Science Center.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The Botanical Garden educates people of all ages about the science, function, and beauty of plants to generate awareness, inspire appreciation, and provide an understanding of the importance of plants to all life on Earth. Its Education Division offers a wide range of structured, programmatic experiences at all levels of learning that is unrivaled at any botanical garden in the world.
Over 300,000 schoolchildren, families, and teachers participate in education programs at the Garden each year, utilizing three facilities: the 12-acre Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden; and the Green School. The Garden’s Professional Development program expands schoolteachers’ knowledge of plant science and ecology, and the Garden’s Curriculum Development program partners with academic publishers to create and distribute textbooks and interactive kits with lesson materials and activities. The Explainer Program engages teens as volunteers in the Children’s Adventure Garden, through personal mentoring and hands-on training to serve as facilitators of family activities. With these extensive offerings and its 250-acre classroom, the Botanical Garden is an ideal place to learn about plants.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Reporting to the Vice President for Children’s Education, the Director of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden is responsible for overall management of the Adventure Garden (ECAG) including oversight of ECAG school, teen, and family programs, to ensure a rich educational experience for all visitors.
Programming
The Director develops and supervises the creation of authentic, inquiry-based science and nature programs for the Adventure Garden. He/she communicates with other departments to integrate Garden-wide programs and events with Adventure Garden goals and objectives, and represents the Garden at local and national education conferences when necessary.
Exhibits, Horticulture, and Facilities
The Director supervises all temporary, seasonal, and permanent exhibits and interpretation for ECAG, and develops new supportive signage, interpretation, and exhibits. He/she consults with Horticulture to ensure Adventure Garden plantings are engaging, appropriate and educationally relevant. The Director works closely with the Operations Department to ensure proper maintenance of indoor facilities (the Discovery Center and the Dodge Activity Center); water features; and the hardscape and other pathways in the Adventure Garden.
Administration
The Director manages all aspects of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden including administering policies and procedures to improve operations and interactions with other Garden departments. Responsibilities include managing the program coordinators and exhibit staff in the Adventure Garden; maintaining statistics on all Adventure Garden programs; writing year end reports and other reports; and assisting Development with the writing of education grants that relate to informal outdoor science education.
Qualifications
The successful candidate must be creative and passionate about teaching informal science education to children through hands-on, inquiry-based methods, with at least five years of experience teaching science or environmental education to grades K-12. He/she must be able to speak with authority about how children learn; and possess knowledge of New York City, New York State, and National learning standards in science. Supervisory experience, strong written and verbal communication skills, and a bachelor’s degree are required. An advanced degree is preferred.
The Garden offers an excellent compensation and benefits package, including four weeks of vacation.
Qualified candidates should send or email resume, letter of interest and three references to:
Karen Yesnick
Vice President for Human Resources
And Administration
The New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Boulevard
Bronx, New York 10458
Email: [email protected]
The New York Botanical Garden is an equal opportunity employer.
