Volunteer

Volunteer opportunity

Adults, 18 or older, with experience caring for animals and a willingness to handle all the chores associated with animal care—even the “yucky” ones—are always needed at Children’s Fairyland. Register to volunteer.

Already a Children’s Fairyland volunteer?
Access our VicNet site to view your service hours, volunteer information and sign-up for volunteer opportunities.

Volunteers are made of fairy dust!

Volunteers are an essential ingredient in the Children’s Fairyland community. Throughout the year, we connect with volunteers who believe in making a positive impact through sharing their time and talent.

We have opportunities that are just right for you. New volunteers will need to register and returning volunteers can sign up for upcoming opportunities through our volunteer portal.

Call for Toddler Storytime volunteers

Children’s Fairyland is thrilled to recruit the next cohort of Toddler Storytime volunteers! This fun, interactive program encourages the development of language in young children. Each session provides 20 minutes of early literacy activities—reading aloud, singing, and movement—in the joyful environment of Fairyland! Toddler Storytime is offered on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. and is included in park admission.

Here’s where you come in...

We are looking for adult volunteers (18+) who can lead toddler-specific Storytimes at our outdoor Emerald City Stage on Fridays. Weʼll provide the necessary training! We simply ask that volunteers commit to completing the training and, afterwards, lead one or two Toddler Storytimes per month.

Readers should be comfortable engaging with and leading a group of children, parents, and

caregivers. Through the training, these volunteers will develop skills in reading aloud, songleading, and other fun literacy-focused activities.

The mandatory, and highly interactive, Storytime training is led by Fairyland Librarian Angela Moffett on November 1 and 2, 2024.

2-Day Mandatory Training

Friday and Saturday

November 1 and 2

9:30-4:00 p.m.

If you would like to become a Storytime volunteer, please email Vicky Chen.

You’ll complete a short questionnaire to find out more about your experience and interests.

We strive to represent the diversity of our community and strongly encourage folks who identify as bilingual, as male, and/or as BIPOC to apply!

We’re so excited to hear from you!

What you can expect

What you can expect from us:

Respect- We promise to treat all volunteers with kindness and consideration. Your time is valuable to us!
Communication- If you have signed up for a volunteer shift and our plans have changed, we will give you the most advance notice possible. We will let you know what you will be working on, and show you how your efforts have contributed to our successes. We will give you the best instructions we can, and answer your questions.
Appreciation- As a non-profit, non-commercial park, we rely on volunteer contributions to continue to serve the children and families in our community. Your support makes our work possible. Thank you!

What we ask of all of our volunteers:

Respect- Please treat park staff, our guests, and other volunteers as you would like to be treated. The golden rule makes Fairyland go round.
Communication- Please give us advance notice if you can’t make a shift that you have signed up for. If you’re not sure about something, ask! Please let us know if you have concerns. The best way to contact us is to email our volunteer coordinator. Please understand that our staff has a variety of different schedules, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Cooperation- We’re working hard to put your time to good use, and we ask that our volunteers do the same for us.

Volunteer FAQs

I’m under 18. Can I still volunteer?

Under special circumstances, we allow minors to help Fairyland with their parent/guardian’s consent. Please email our Volunteer Coordinator for more information: outreach@fairyland.org

May I bring my kids with me?

Because we don’t normally work with volunteers who are minors, please leave kids at home during your volunteering hours. You are most welcome to bring them back later to admire your handiwork.

I want to bring my friend/family member/co-worker/neighbor/assistant/attorney/etc. with me (or basically recruit more volunteers)?

Please spread the work about Fairyland’s volunteer program, we rely on community support. To make the best use of your volunteer hours, we need to plan ahead, so please don’t bring people along unannounced. The best way for people to sign up is to fill out our volunteer form and join our email list. You can refer people to our online form or pass along our paper version.

I want to sign up for a big group or plan a volunteer event?

Please email our Volunteer Coordinator about your idea. The following information will help us determine how best to make use of your group’s efforts:

the size of your group
your group’s age range
the dates and times that your group is available, and any deadlines you are working with
any specific project interests (i.e. gardening, painting, or carpentry, etc.)
any tasks or projects that would not work for your group (i.e. no painting)

Can I offer my special skill or service?

Please make sure you fill out our volunteering form completely, and list your skills and services specifically. We will get in touch with volunteers individually to follow up.

Want to hear my idea or advice for Fairyland?

That’s great! Please direct all comments, ideas, advice, and references to our Volunteer Coordinator. We will follow up with you if we need more information.

Can I have some free passes?

The short answer is not usually. We are a non-profit organization, and we have a very limited budget for incentives and gifts. But we truly value your contribution.

How should I contact Fairyland?

The best way for volunteers to contact us is to email our Volunteer Coordinator. Once you have signed up for a shift, and if you have questions, our office line is (510) 452-2259, and our office hours are from 10 am to 4 pm. Depending on who is supervising your project, you may email or call your supervisor individually from time to time, but please keep our office hours in mind, and understand that we might not always be able to respond immediately to all communication. Thanks for your patience. If you have something urgent to tell us, please follow up.

Will you sign off on my community service hours?

Please track your hours yourself, and let us know in advance that you will need us to sign off on your time sheet. Either the Volunteer Coordinator or the person you are working with directly can sign for you.

I need a letter of recommendation?

We would be happy to write you a letter of recommendation, we want you to get the most out of your time at Fairyland. Keep in mind, we will be upfront about the number of hours you have contributed, and the types of activities you have participated in. Please give the Volunteer Coordinator 30 days advance notice, and request a letter by email, including all pertinent addresses and information in your request.

Can I bring my dog or BBQ?

Unfortunately, no. Sorry. It would be fun, though.