Children’s Garden Education Fellowship
All positions have been filled for 2026. Please check back in December for information about the 2027 fellowship.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Children’s Garden Education Fellowship program prepares aspiring environmental educators for positions in the field, both at BBG and beyond.
Education Fellows spend the growing season in BBG’s Children’s Garden, teaching young people to grow, harvest, and cook their own food, care for the environment, and explore the natural world.
BBG hires seven fellows each year.
Fellowship Details
Fellows teach age-appropriate gardening lessons to a group of up to 12 children with the assistance of two to three teen apprentices from our Garden Apprentice Program. Fellows are responsible for caring for their garden beds and designing hands-on garden-based lessons for children ages 4 through 13. Fellows also teach up to eight family programs, guiding children and their families at hands-on stations in the Children’s Garden. Early Childhood Fellows co-teach an additional class for children 2–3 alongside their adult caregiver.
The comprehensive paid training program covers food gardening, seasonal themes, best practices for outdoor education, and horticulture skills. Training topics include garden bed maintenance, child development and behavioral differences, universal design for learning, mentorship training, botany, and more.
The 2026 program runs March 14–November 1, 2026.
Children’s Garden Fellows (teaching ages 6–13) commitment:
- 10 hours per week during spring and fall on Fridays and Saturdays
- 30 hours per week in the summer, Tuesday through Friday
Children’s Garden Fellows schedule:
- March–May; September–October: Fridays 2–6 p.m., Saturdays 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
- June: Tuesday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
- July–mid August: Tuesday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Early Childhood Fellows (teaching ages 2–5) commitment:
- 18 hours per week during spring and fall, Wednesday through Saturday
- 30 hours per week in the summer, Tuesday through Friday
Early Childhood Fellows schedule:
- March–May; September–October: Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Friday 2–6 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
- June: Tuesday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
- July–mid August: Tuesday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
There are some holidays and days between seasons with no scheduled shifts. Please see the 2026 application for the complete schedule.
We look for candidates who have some experience with either children or gardening and who hope to pursue a career in horticulture or informal science education. Candidates must be comfortable working outdoors and performing manual labor in various weather conditions.
Please email us at [email protected] with any questions about the program or application process.
What Past Fellows Have to Say
Program alumni have pursued careers as school garden teachers, environmental education coordinators, horticulturists, and more at institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History, Edible Schoolyard NYC, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, Wave Hill, and STEM From Dance.
“I learned some great skills around education, behavioral management, and teamwork that I will hold to. I think this fellowship also made me a much stronger gardener and fueled my interest in the environment by giving me a strong network of peers who are equally excited by the study of ecology and agriculture.”
“I loved seeing kids be excited about gardening and nature! It was so fun and sweet to share my joy about gardening with them and to see how excited they were about it too. I also appreciated the combination of structure and abundant existing lesson plans and activities we could choose from, combined with lots of freedom to try new things.”
“I loved the kids I worked with and the age-group, the gardening, my wonderful colleagues, and overall, I felt super supported and appreciated as an employee.”
