What are the responsibilities and job description for the Outdoor Educator position at Palms Day School?
Now Hiring: Outdoor Educator at Palms Day School – Where Wonder Grows!
Do you believe some of the best learning happens with muddy hands, garden tools, open skies, and a little curiosity?
At Palms Day School, we’re looking for an Outdoor Educator who has a genuine love for nature, children, gardening, outdoor exploration, and creating meaningful learning experiences beyond the classroom walls.
This is a unique role in which approximately 80% of your day will be spent outdoors. We are looking for someone who is excited to take ownership of our outdoor environments and help transform our gardens, playgrounds, and natural spaces into meaningful extensions of the classroom.
Who We Are
Palms Day School is a child-centered early childhood program inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach. We believe children learn through relationships, exploration, creativity, movement, and meaningful experiences with the world around them.
Our outdoor spaces are more than playgrounds. They are places for investigation, problem-solving, creativity, responsibility, collaboration, and connection with nature.
What You’ll Do
As our Outdoor Educator, you will help lead the vision and daily care of our outdoor learning environments.
Responsibilities may include:
- Spending approximately 80% of the workday outdoors with children
- Taking ownership of gardens, playgrounds, and outdoor learning spaces
- Planning and facilitating meaningful nature-based activities and investigations
- Gardening with children and involving them in planting, watering, harvesting, and caring for living things
- Creating experiences focused on sustainability, environmental responsibility, and appreciation for nature
- Using natural, recycled, loose-part, and open-ended materials to create learning opportunities
- Developing outdoor provocations and resources based on children’s interests
- Encouraging exploration, creativity, problem-solving, and appropriate risk-taking
- Helping maintain organized, inviting, and purposeful outdoor spaces
- Supporting long-term outdoor projects and documentation of children’s learning
- Collaborating with classroom educators to extend curriculum and classroom investigations outdoors
- Assisting with general school needs and providing classroom coverage when teachers are absent or additional support is needed
What You Bring to the Journey
We’re looking for someone who:
- Truly enjoys being outdoors in a variety of weather conditions
- Has a strong passion for nature, gardening, sustainability, or environmental education
- Loves working with young children
- Is creative, resourceful, hands-on, and self-motivated
- Is comfortable taking ownership of projects and bringing new ideas to life
- Understands the value of play-based and child-led learning
- Can see educational possibilities in natural and everyday materials
- Is flexible and willing to support classrooms when needed
- Works well independently while also being a collaborative member of a larger school community
- Has experience in early childhood education, outdoor education, gardening, environmental education, or a related field preferred
Why You’ll Love Growing With Us
- A unique role that allows you to spend the majority of your day outdoors
- The freedom to help shape and develop our outdoor learning environments
- A child-centered, Reggio Emilia-inspired school community
- Supportive teammates who value creativity, curiosity, and new ideas
- Opportunities for professional development and continued growth
- The chance to create lasting experiences that help children build a lifelong connection with nature
If your ideal workday includes gardening with children, investigating insects, creating with natural materials, building outdoor experiences, caring for the environment, and helping children discover the world around them, we would love to meet you.
Join Palms Day School and help us create outdoor environments where curiosity, responsibility, and wonder can grow.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $15.00 - $17.50 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
Pay: $15.00 - $17.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
Salary : $15 - $17