Managing, Coaching, and Leading: Tools for Empowering School Garden Educators

Whether you’re supervising one garden educator or leading a full team, your role goes far beyond managing logistics. In this interactive session, we’ll explore what it means to manage, coach, and lead in ways that empower educators, align with organizational goals, and cultivate long-term program sustainability.

Through reflection, group activities, and practical scenarios, participants will examine how to build reflective, restorative team relationships while identifying common barriers to success – such as unclear expectations, skill gaps, low motivation, and limited capacity. The session also introduces “curious conversations” as a framework for addressing challenges with empathy, clarity, and collaboration.

Participants will leave with concrete tools to strengthen staff capacity and foster a culture of ownership and initiative. This session is designed for anyone who supervises, coaches, or informally leads others and wants to create supportive environments where educators feel seen, valued, and equipped to do their best work.

Presented by:

The 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit Webinar Series highlights presenters from the 2026 Growing School Gardens Summit held in Phoenix, Arizona. The series is hosted by the SGSO Network and KidsGardening and generously funded by the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation.