Seasonal Children's Farmyard Educator

Position Title:  Seasonal Children’s Farmyard Educator
Supervisor: Children’s Farmyard Manager
Employee Status: Seasonal, Full Time
Location: On-site (Farm Barn at Shelburne Farms: 1611 Harbor Rd, Shelburne, VT 05482) Housing is not available for this position. 
Employment dates:  April 22, 2026 - October 21, 2026
Hourly: $17.50/hour
Work Schedule: 4-5 days a week (including weekends and holidays) 
Application Deadline: Positions are open until filled. We will start scheduling interviews the week of March 15.
 

Who We’re Looking for

We are currently seeking Farm Based Educators with exceptional guest service skills to work in the Children’s Farmyard. The farmyard is an outdoor educational space that is open to the public and school groups seven days a week, May through October. The goal of this public program is to educate and connect visitors to agriculture in a safe, engaging, and hands-on environment. The farmyard is part of our campus that supports our mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future.
 

What You’ll Do

• Facilitate safe, engaging, hands-on activities with our farm animals and gardens, fostering connections between visitors and their food and fiber systems.
• Welcome and assist diverse audiences in a warm, welcoming, and professional manner upholding excellent guest services. 
• Orient visitors to Shelburne Farms - its mission, programs, products, and campus.
• Clean animal yards, barns, and pens as well as visitor and education spaces. 
• Care for our farm animals and garden while engaging visitors in your work. Animals include: sheep, goats, rabbits, cows, calves, pigs, chickens, turkeys, donkeys.
• Bring the cheddar making process to life for visitors through interpretive education in our cheese making and information hub.
• Support ongoing maintenance projects - ex. string trimming, fence maintenance.
• Mentor Youth Farmyard Educators (ages 13-18) through positive role-modeling. During the summer, these younger educators-in-training work alongside Farmyard staff to learn about all that we do. 
• Foster a welcoming and inclusive working and learning environment open to multiple perspectives, for all program participants, guests, and staff.
• Communicate honestly and effectively with the team to create a respectful and open work environment. 
• Attend orientation, training, and staff meetings as required. 
   

Day in the Life of a Farmyard Educator

• Each morning, staff gather for a brief meeting to create a schedule of activities and discuss updates, projects, and animal care tasks for the day. This is followed by cleaning and preparing the farmyard for visitor arrival.  
• Approximate breakdown of daily duties: 
  • 30%  Leading hands-on activities and presentations with visitors such as spinning sheep's wool into yarn bracelets, hand milking one of our visiting dairy cows, visiting our sheep in their pasture, and afternoon animal chores.
  • 30% Welcoming visitors and engaging them in conversations around our animals and gardens and their connection to agriculture and our food system, as well as answering visitor questions about our campus, mission, history, and products.
  • 25% Completing ongoing farm tasks such as animal chores, deep cleaning barns, moving portable fencing, and string trimming
  • 15% Bringing the cheddar making process to life for visitors through interpretive education in our cheese making and information hub.
• At the end of each day, staff close down the farmyard, return animals to their pastures, and prepare the space for the following day. 
   

Core Qualifications 

• Able to commit to our full season April 22-October 21.
• Able to attend the farmyard educator training from April 22 - May 8 (approximately 35 hours/wk).
• Able to work weekends and holidays.
• Experience in education or public interpretation.
• Basic knowledge/understanding of food, fiber and farm systems.
• Able to handle challenging situations with a solution-oriented mindset and a calm demeanor. 
• Willingness to receive feedback and be open to learning and improvement. 
• Have a positive attitude and remain flexible to changing program needs
• Committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive working and learning environment for all program participants, guests, and staff.
• Valid First Aid and CPR Certification (training provided).
• A completed background check is a condition of employment as you’re working with minors.
   

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Outdoor work environment with varied weather conditions including summer heat and humidity.
• Navigate hilly and uneven terrain throughout each day. 
• Work with and around large farm animals, hay, bedding, dust, and animal manure.
• Lift and move items weighing up to 50 lbs periodically.
   

To Apply

If our vision and mission excite you, we hope you will share with us your experience and skill set that you feel would qualify you to make a contribution to the Farm.

Click here to submit an application and please include responses to the following questions. The following questions are not meant to be a writing exercise but an opportunity to introduce yourself in a meaningful way.

• Why are you interested in this position?
• Tell us about your unique characteristics and life experiences that will help you thrive in this role.
• How would you create a welcoming experience for all visitors?
• How did you hear about the position?
   

Shelburne Farms is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we strongly stand against discrimination and harassment of any kind. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. 

If you need accommodations throughout the application process or have general questions, please contact us at jobs@shelburnefarms.org or 802-985-8686.