Education Facilitator I
Milwaukee, WI
Full Time
Entry Level
Education Facilitator I
Status: Full-time | Non-Exempt
Location: 929 E. Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Reports to: Community Partnerships Manager
Working Schedule: Tuesday - Saturday (off Sunday & Monday)
- Must have flexibility to adjust hours as needed for evening and weekend events, special programs, or coverage needs.
To learn more about the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and our values:
Join the Betty Brinn Children's Museum Team!
The Position Summary:
The Education Facilitator I plays a critical role in delivering engaging, hands-on educational experiences that inspire curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning in children and families. The primary responsibility of this position is to facilitate high-quality educational programming throughout the Museum, ensuring every experience is welcoming, interactive, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with the Museum's educational philosophy.
This position leads the daily implementation of a variety of Museum programs, including but not limited to Field Trip program add-ons, Be a Maker programming (BAM Labs, Messy Mondays, Studio Saturdays), Little Sprouts Lab within the Fork Farms Flex Farm exhibit, Artist-in-Residence programming, Music Makers, exhibit-based literacy activations, and special events. The Education Facilitator I creates meaningful opportunities for play-based learning while fostering positive interactions with children, caregivers, schools, and community partners.
Beyond facilitation, this role supports the planning, preparation, organization, and continuous improvement of educational programming by maintaining supplies, preparing materials, assisting with curriculum development, evaluating program effectiveness, and ensuring consistent, high-quality execution across all offerings. This position also contributes to the development of new educational experiences and collaborates with internal staff and community partners to enhance the Museum's programming portfolio.
As a member of the Strategic Partnerships Team, the Education Facilitator I also supports educational outreach initiatives, including driving and facilitating the Wonder Wagon and other community-based programs throughout the greater Milwaukee area, greeting and supporting field trip groups, and providing floor support as needed to ensure an exceptional guest experience.
This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, interactive environment, is passionate about child development and informal education, and enjoys creating joyful learning experiences that connect children and families with the power of play both inside the Museum and throughout the community.
Key Responsibilities:
- Facilitate daily educational programming and field trip experiences, providing engaging, developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for Museum guests.
- Greet and host daily field trip groups visiting the Museum, ensuring a welcoming and positive guest experience from arrival through departure.
- Oversee the floor experience for field trip groups, ensuring safety, operational flow, educational engagement, and exceptional customer service.
- Drive and operate the Museum's Wonder Wagon and/or outreach van for off-site educational programs and represent the Museum at community events.
- Under the guidance of the leadership team, support the strategic development and implementation of supplementary floor-based programming aligned with the Museum's mission and educational goals.
- Facilitate engaging educational programs that inspire creativity, STEAM exploration, early literacy, family collaboration, and play-based learning.
- Coordinate communications and program logistics, including space setup, staffing, materials preparation, guest hosting, and introductions for community partners and guest facilitators.
- Collaborate with the Community Partnerships Manager and internal teams to ensure seamless program operations, including scheduling, logistics, capacity management, and visitor flow.
- Support program budgets and monitor expenses in collaboration with the Development & Partnerships Director.
- Partner with Museum volunteers by providing orientation, guidance, and day-of support to ensure they are effectively engaged in educational programming and contribute to a positive, high-quality guest experience.
- Maintain organized inventories of program materials and supplies, ensuring space readiness, material flow, and operational consistency across all educational programs.
- Evaluate, track, and report attendance, performance metrics, guest engagement, and participant feedback to assess the impact and effectiveness of Museum programming.
- Maintain cross-training across all educational programs to provide facilitation support and coverage as needed.
- Foster an inclusive, welcoming, and developmentally appropriate learning environment that actively engages children and families.
- Collaborate with leadership to continuously refine program content and delivery, ensuring alignment with educational standards, Museum objectives, and best practices.
- Respond effectively to emergencies and support a safe environment for guests, staff, and volunteers.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Child Development, or a related field.
- Bilingual in Spanish is highly preferred
- Two years of experience teaching or facilitating with children aged 0-10.
- Valid and clean driving record and comfortable driving the Wonder Wagon
- Must be able to work flexible hours, including early mornings or evenings as needed
- Strong passion and commitment to the Mission of BBCM!
Essential Functions, Physical Demands & Work Environment Requirements:
The duties, physical demands, and work environment characteristics described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position:
- Safely and independently operate and drive the Wonder Wagon vehicle to off-site locations throughout the Milwaukee area.
- Occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull up to 40 pounds.
- Facilitate engaging, hands-on, play-based learning experiences for children and families.
- Present programs and activities to groups of children, families, school groups, and community audiences.
- Represent the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum in a welcoming, mission-aligned manner while interacting with guests, community partners, and the public.
- Work outdoors in varying weather conditions and perform physical activities, including standing, walking, bending, lifting, carrying, and moving materials throughout scheduled shifts.
- Work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends, based on program and event needs.
- Remain alert to guest safety, identify potential hazards, and respond appropriately to incidents, emergencies, and unsafe conditions.
- Work effectively in a fast-paced, high-traffic, interactive environment while maintaining positive, professional interactions with guests, coworkers, volunteers, and community partners.
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, and move throughout the Museum for extended periods during scheduled shifts.
Skills & Abilities:
- Positive, can-do attitude with a strong commitment to providing exceptional service to museum visitors, participants, and community partners.
- Ability to engage young children at various developmental stages with warmth, clarity, and energy.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with children, families, colleagues, and diverse community partners.
- Skilled public speaking and group facilitation abilities; confident presenting to audiences of all sizes and introducing guest artists or community partners.
- Understanding of developmental milestones and age-appropriate educational strategies to create engaging, play-based learning experiences for early learners through school-aged children.
- Effective classroom/group management skills, with the ability to guide groups of 30+ children, maintain safety, and promote positive behavior.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills for coordinating schedules, materials, budgets, and event logistics.
- Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing needs or challenges.
- Problem-solving mindset with the ability to resolve logistical issues and participant needs quickly and effectively.
- Experience tracking and analyzing participation data, evaluating program effectiveness, and completing reports such as surveys and grant-related evaluation metrics.
Benefits & Salary:
BBCM offers a generous benefits package, including but not limited to the following:
- Medical Insurance (BBCM pays 70- 80% of the cost)
- Dental Insurance (BBCM pays 70- 80% of the cost)
- Vision, Critical Illness, Accidental Insurance, Supplementary Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment eligibility
- HSA with employer contributions
- Employer-paid plans for Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance & Long-Term Disability
- 401k with the Museum contributing 3% at year-end (not matching every pay period)
- 18 days PTO
- Separate sick time
- Nine Paid Holidays
- Free downtown parking
- Free BBCM Family Membership
The starting salary for this position is $47,500
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. All employees—with or without a disability or accommodation—are expected to meet the performance standards and essential requirements of their position.
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