Join Us

Children running along a dirt path in a lush garden or farm.
Two children playing in the rain; the girl in the foreground is wearing a yellow raincoat and laughing, the boy in the background is wearing a dark coat and running behind her.
Seven children running through a grassy, wooded area outside
A young child in a white knit hat with a pom-pom, red winter coat with fur trim, is playing outside in the snow and building a snowman.

Work with ECO

Join our growing team‍ ‍

We seek educators who respect children as capable learners and support them in discovering the world through play while fostering a love for nature.

Inspired by the work of educators Ann Pelo and Margie Carter, we value educators who:

  • view children as resourceful and resilient, intelligent in both mind and heart, worthy of our devotion and tenderness

  • are fully present in the moment-by-moment unfolding of life that they share with each other and with children each day

  • want to know what the children think, feel, and wonder, expecting to learn from the children as well as with them

  • prize questions and the process of investigating them 

  • create an environment that reflects and honors children's families, building bridges between home and school

  • seek out divergent perspectives in order to add to the complexity of their thinking 

  • believe that children and adults can only thrive in a world where inequities are noticed and actively challenged

  • think deeply about the kind of people we want to be and the kind of world we want to live in

If this resonates, please reach out to Sarah.

Grow with Us
Grow with Us

Internships

We welcome college and graduate school interns from local and international universities. Internship responsibilities and schedules are designed to meet each student’s academic requirements and professional goals. Students studying early childhood education, child development, public health, anthropology, psychology, environmental studies, or related fields are encouraged to reach out.

Volunteer Opportunities

We welcome volunteers to contribute in the following areas:

  • Early childhood and outdoor education

  • Gardening, permaculture, and landscape architecture

  • Communications, photography, videography, and graphic design

  • Community outreach

  • Translation

  • Construction

  • Research and policy

Interns & Volunteers

Volunteer With ECO
Volunteer With ECO

  • Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.

    Fred Rogers

  • There is no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom.

    Paulo Friere

  • Children more than ever, need opportunities to be in their bodies in the world – jumping rope, bicycling, stream hopping, and fort building. It’s this engagement between limbs of the body and bones of the earth where true balance and centeredness emerge.

    David Sobel

  • The most important qualities of any educator are not adequately captured on a resume. It is hard to quantify passion, energy, dedication, patience, perseverance, and love...but in the classroom...those qualities make all the difference in the world.

    Danny Steele

  • There is a feeling of freedom that one can attain outdoors that is more elusive when we're confined. We breath easier, we set aside our urge to control. We can't organize the trees or tidy the clouds. Being outdoors allows us to more easily just let go, which, is the best mental state for creativity.

    Teacher Tom