Information for Prospective 4-H Members
Who can be in 4-H? 
Any person, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, or disability may enroll as a 4-H member. Youth between the ages of 5 and 18 who belong to a club or participates in a special-interest or school-enrichment project.
There are four 4-H age divisions:
Cloverbuds – Ages 5 to 7. They are encouraged to participate in most events, but there is no competition in Cloverbuds. Parents are heavily involved.
Juniors – Ages 8-10 (must be 8 on or before December 31st of the previous year). If intermediates are combined into this age division, then juniors are between the ages of 8 and 13.
Intermediates – Ages 11-13 (must be 11 on or before December 31st of the previous year). The Intermediate age division is some-times combined into the Junior division. Some projects will break them out into their own age division.
Senior – Ages 14-18 (must be 14 on or before December 31st of the previous year). Anyone turning 19 on or before December 31st of the previous year has aged out of the 4-H program and is encouraged to continue as an adult 4-H volunteer leader
Purpose of 4-H
To provide real life learning experiences for youth through a fun, hands-on action-oriented, and practical program.
To provide an opportunity for parents and other caring adults to work with youth in their development.
To provide an opportunity for families to develop a stronger bond through learning and having fun together. 4-H is family and families are encouraged to be a part of the program by encouraging and helping their child(ren), supporting the club leaders, and participating in activities.
Choosing a Club:
Clubs are located in Bailey and Fairplay. We recommend that if multiple clubs are available in your area that you visit all of them to see where you feel your family would best fit it. Each club has project leaders that specialize in a specific area of 4-H. If a club does not have a leader for a specific project you are interested in, projects can be self-led or parent led.
Project Areas:
There are 5 project areas in 4-H: Livestock, Horse, Companion, General Natural Resources, and Family Consumer Science. Examples of projects available are listed below, for a full list visit http://co4h.colostate.edu/program-areas/projects/
Livestock Projects: 
- Beef Project
- Goat Project
- Poultry Project
- Sheep Project
- Swine Project
Horse:
- English
- Western
- Ranch Horse
Companion Projects:
- Dog
- Rabbit
General Natural Resources:
- Horseless Horse
- Leadership
- Model Rocketry
- Photography
- Shooting Sports
Family Consumer Science
- Cake Decorating
- Clothing – Artistic/Construction
- Cloverbuds
- Foods & Nutrition
- Heritage Arts
What Does It Cost to Join?
The annual fee for members 5-18 years of age enrolling in 4H is $45.00 plus any 4-H project costs. There is no fee for leaders.
We firmly believe that ANY youth who wants to join 4-H should have the opportunity to do so. Full or partial scholarships are available. These scholarships may be obtained by contacting the Extension Office.
