Family Work Option is a program that was developed to allow families with school-age children (ages 4-17) to serve on staff in the summer. Adult volunteers who wish to bring children may only do so if they are the parent or legal guardian of those children. We unfortunately cannot accommodate families with children under 4 .
If you are interested in serving as a long-term volunteer or employee for a year or more with your family, please first contact staffing@holdenvillage.org to inquire about this possibility. Long-term housing for families is limited and capacity for families to serve on staff varies. During the school year, children of long-term staff attend the Holden School, a public K-12 school operated by the Lake Chelan School District.
Complete the family volunteer option form (1 per family) and email to staffing@holdenvillage.org:
Complete staff agreements (1 for each family member age 12+) and email to staffing@holdenvillage.org:
Complete health and wellness forms (1 for each family member) and email to medic@holdenvillage.org:
Send the Reference Form (1 reference per family) to the individual you listed in your Application and ask them to email their completed form to staffing@holdenvillage.org
Read more about the logistics and work requirements for the Family Work Option below, and get ready for the whole family to work and play together!
When participating in the Family Work Option, all adults will participate in Garbology and Dish Team, which involve serving the Village by sorting trash and recyclables, composting food waste, washing dishes, and cleaning the dining hall after meals. Here’s what the rest of the family can expect:
Both adults participate in Garbology and Dish Team. If any of your children are under 12, one adult volunteers full-time (36 hours/week) and one adult volunteers half-time (during youth program hours). If all of your children are 12 and over, both adults volunteer full-time (36 hours/week).
The adult participates in Garbology and Dish Team. If any of your children are under 12, you volunteer half-time (during youth program hours). If all of your children are 12 and over, you work full-time (36 hours/week).
Children ages 4-15 will participate in Holden’s youth programs, which are not available for the whole workday. This means that for children 4-11, one adult works half-time during youth program hours (mornings) and cares for their own children in the afternoon. For children 12 and over, there may be some unsupervised time when there is no youth programming and the adults are at work. Holden is unable to provide childcare outside of our normal guest youth programming. If your child is 12 and over and requires more supervision, please apply as though your child is under 12.
Families are mostly housed in one room with multiple beds and share a community bathroom down the hall. Learn more about Holden’s lodging.
Holden Village is a community where your questions are valued and encouraged. Most programs led by visiting teaching faculty occur during the summer months. However, Holden also invites faculty to teach sessions for special events and retreats throughout the rest of the year.
View upcoming summer faculty.
