From: Miriam Grunes [mailto:miriamg@...]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 5:54 PM
To: miriamg@...
Subject: Job Posting - Education Coordinator

Hello Friends.
To follow is a posting for a position within the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Project.
Please distribute to anyone you know who may be interested.
This posting can also be found at http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/EdCoordPosting.htm
-Miriam

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Job Posting - June 14, 2005
Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Education Coordinator


Overview:

The Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch project is an initiative to introduce locally grown food to children in the Madison Metropolitan School District in their
classrooms, through the district's lunch program and through educational activities in their schools.  The Education Coordinator (EC) will be responsible for developing, coordinating, and promoting educational activities for Madison's schools.  The EC will promote continued activities at the 4 existing Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch pilot schools as well as develop materials and resources for distribution to other schools in the district. Types of activities to be promoted will include classroom lessons and field trips, incorporating nutrition education, food system concepts, and opportunities to experience (taste) fresh local produce.  School activities outside of formal education will also be explored and promoted within schools.  These types of activities include promoting healthy local snack
programs, school local foods fundraisers, alternatives to foods (candy/pizza) rewards, and alternative foods served at school events. School activities shall be planned to coordinate with and support other efforts of WHL to affect changes of food offerings in the lunchroom.  By increasing children's awareness of the benefits of fresh local foods, while offering access to these foods in their classrooms, lunchrooms, and throughout the school culture, we aim to influence the next generation of consumers toward more healthy and responsible eating choices.

Accountability:

The EC will report directly to the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Coordinator and be an employee of the REAP Food Group.

Responsibilities/ Tasks:

1.   Continue activities at 4 established Pilot Schools
-  attend meetings and provide guidance and resources to the school committees
-  continue to refine and document classroom activities, field trips, and tasting sessions
-  recruit/train volunteers to lead activities,
-  have WHL presence at school functions and in school communications,
- create 3 newsletters/year for pilot school families,


2.   Become familiar with the school district's and Madison Health Department's policies and practices on curriculum development and serving foods and seek opportunities for bringing more experiential food education to the schools.


3.   Develop resource materials for non-pilot schools
- compile and distribute curriculum, activity sheets, contacts, resources for teachers
- "how to" information for parents looking to bring Farm-to-school type activities to their schools


4.   Participate in development of and encourage implementation of healthy snack programs, school gardens, after school cooking clubs, and alternative fundraisers at both pilot and non-pilot schools.


5.   Respond to school and parent requests for information and materials.


6.   Collaborate with partnering organizations  (Friends of Troy Gardens, UW Extension Nutrition Education Program, Community Action Coalition , Madison
Public Health Dept., Partner Shares Program and others) to maximize effectiveness, share messaging, and provide school families with opportunities to access fresh local food in their homes.


7.   Participate in generating positive local publicity for project:
-Invite and host local media, politicians, and funders to attend appropriate school events, activities or field trips


8.   Document activities and time spent for the purpose of evaluation, record keeping and learning from the experiences of project planning and implementation

Desired qualifications:

· Bachelor's degree or commensurate experience in education, nutrition, environmental science or agriculture.
· Experience working with youth in an education setting.
· Familiarity with using and/or developing curricula.
· Experience with program management and development.
· Understanding and interest in community food and nutrition issues.
· Volunteer or paid experience with socially, economically and/or ethnically diverse populations.
· Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills in a team setting.   Skillful in establishing and maintaining professional work relationships
and networks.
· Ability to organize work and work productively with indirect supervision.
· Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
· Working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet software.

Appointment Type:
This is a 50%-80% one-year appointment.  A second year renewal is expected.

Salary:
50%-80% appointment based on full-time base rate of $28,000/year.

Application Procedure and Deadline:
Please submit a cover letter including a statement on your experiences, interests and philosophy in working with students on community food
education. Include a resume and two professional references and mail packet postmarked by July 8, 2005 to:
Miriam Grunes
Executive Director
REAP Food Group
P.O. Box 5632
Madison, WI 53705-0632
For Further Information:
 - about the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Project visit http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/farmtoschool
 - about the application process contact Doug Wubben at (608) 263-6064, dwubben@...

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REAP Food Group
PO Box 5632
Madison, WI  53705-0632
(608) 294-1114
www.reapfoodgroup.org

~nourishing the links between land and table~