Educator - Santa Fe, NM

Food Educator

Reports to:

Program Director, Associate Program Director, or Program Coordinator (depending)

Employment Status:
Part-time/Non-Exempt

Location:

Openings in Rio Arriba County and Santa Fe area, New Mexico

Impact of this Role

Food Educators are at the heart of Cooking with Kids' mission to educate and inspire children and families to make healthy food choices through hands-on learning with nutritious, affordable foods. The Educator's primary responsibility is to organize, schedule, and deliver Cooking with Kids program activities in schools and communities throughout Northern New Mexico.

Using the Cooking with Kids curriculum, Food Educators lead classroom-based cooking lessons, monthly cafeteria tastings that help students build food skills, confidence, and a willingness to try healthy foods. Additional opportunities may include after school, family, and community engagement activities. At schools with active garden programs, Educators may also support garden-to-kitchen learning experiences that complement Cooking with Kids' core programming.

This position works closely with the Program Leadership Team, fellow Educators, and school staff to ensure high-quality program delivery. While Educators work independently at school sites, they are part of a collaborative team culture that includes county-based teams, ongoing professional development, mentorship, and regular sharing of ideas, tools, and best practices.

What You Will Lead and Support (Role & Responsibilities)

Program Delivery

• Serve as the primary Cooking with Kids Food Educator for assigned school site(s), working closely with school staff throughout the school year.
• Schedule and deliver Cooking with Kids programming in coordination with teachers, administrators, and cafeteria staff.
• Facilitate classroom-based cooking and nutrition education lessons using the Cooking with Kids curriculum. The number of classrooms served varies by school site and educator availability and will be discussed prior to school assignments.
• Lead monthly cafeteria tastings, using Cooking with Kids' Nuevo Thursday approach to offer tasty fruits, vegetables, and other dishes for students to sample.
• Support family engagement, after school, community, and garden-to-kitchen activities as available.

School and Community Partnerships

• Build positive relationships with students, teachers, administrators, cafeteria staff, families, and community partners.
• Manage the CWK calendar for assigned school sites, scheduling cooking units with classroom teachers, and keeping school administrators and CWK program leadership updated.

Team Collaboration and Professional Growth

• Participate in monthly staff meetings, and regular in-person or virtual Educator and all-team training, and seek additional opportunities for professional development.
• Maintain regular communication with program leadership and partner Educators.
• Contribute ideas, experiences, and best practices as part of a collaborative team culture.

Program Operations

• Rigorously follow all food safety, sanitation, and risk management procedures. Maintain active Food Handlers certification.
• Transport program supplies and food as needed, from the central food hubs in each county to the school sites.
• Complete required reporting, timesheets, purchasing records, and program reports in a timely manner.
• Adhere to all organizational and school site policies and procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional opportunities may include supporting educator training, curriculum development, communications, garden initiatives, and other special projects.

Work Rhythm & Compensation

Employment Status

This is a non-exempt, hourly position. Educators are assigned to one or more schools and work directly with teachers and school staff to schedule program activities throughout the school year. Most classroom lessons are approximately two hours in length, and Educators typically facilitate one to two lessons per day, depending on school schedules and educator availability.

Program activities generally occur between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on school days, though some preparation, cleanup, meetings, trainings, and special events may require earlier or later hours. Total hours vary based on school assignments and program needs.

Compensation & Benefits

The hourly pay for this position is $22/hour starting wage and generally increases to $23/hour after a three-month probationary period.

The Strengths You Bring

Required Skills

This Role May Be a Great Fit If You:

• Love working with children and helping them build confidence through hands-on learning.
• Are passionate about healthy food, nutrition, education, and community well-being.
• Enjoy teaching, facilitating groups, and creating positive, engaging learning environments.
• Build strong relationships across diverse communities and communicate effectively with students, families, teachers, and community partners.
• Work well independently while also contributing to a collaborative team.
• Are organized, dependable, and adaptable.
• Enjoy learning,…