Preschool Garden Manager at Champion

Columbus Early Learning Centers is looking for a Volunteer Preschool Garden Manager! We are looking for a volunteer who is reliable, good with kids, loves nature, patient, and energetic to help provide a fun, safe outdoor learning environment in our preschool garden.

The Volunteer Garden Manager will meet with a Preschool classroom for one hour every-other week to help them take care of their garden and learn more about plants, nature, and gardening. Every-other week, the garden manager would:

• Lead 2 classes of 15 preschoolers in tending to their garden (harvesting, weeding, watering) with the help of the two preschool teachers.
• Help the preschoolers weigh and log their harvests in a tracking binder
• Lead a garden-related activity for the preschoolers (flower printing, making salad, learning about the 5 senses). Our Volunteer Manager has a booklet of ideas and can help the Garden Manager with planning out activities and getting supplies (all costs covered by CELC).

Schedule for Spring/Summer 2026:

• Thursday, May 28th, Planting Day, 9:30am - 11am
• Tuesday, June 2nd, First Gardening Class, 9:30am - 11am
• Gardening Classes every-other week on Tuesdays from 9:30am - 11am until September 15th (9 sessions total)

The Volunteer Responsibilities are:

• Helping the Champion Early Learning Center Preschool Garden thrive and grow vegetables
• Teaching a love of gardening and food to the preschoolers
• Attending and leading the Gardening Classes every-other Tuesday from 9:30-11am
• On weeks that there are no gardening classes, come to the garden and water, harvest, weed, and check on the plants
• Tracking harvest weights in a Harvest Log

The Volunteer Role Requirements are:

• Experience with gardening
• Experience with young children, preferably preschool aged children (3-5)
• A love of nature, plants, and food
• Strong people skills and a positive attitude
• Ability to stand, stoop, reach and bend
• Ability to work outdoors

Before starting in this volunteer position, the Volunteer Garden Manger would need to:

• Have an interview with the Volunteer Manager
• Complete a background check on ODJFS and have fingerprints taken (paid for by CELC)
• Have a Medical Form filled out by a Health Care Provide

If you are interested in this volunteer role but would like a co-garden manager, please let us know!

All plants and gardening materials would be provided by CELC. If you have additional questions, please email CELC at volunteering@columbusearlylearning.org