Member and Club Requirements

Member Information
4-H is open to all boys and girls without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age or disability. The enrollment year runs from January 1st through December 31st. To receive credit for completion of one year of membership and be eligible to participate in competitive events, a member must be enrolled by June 30th (by May 1st to exhibit in the Maryland State Fair).

Multi-Club Membership
Members are encouraged to participate in the community club nearest their home and may belong to more than one community and/or project club. If the member belongs to clubs in more than one 4-H unit (county/city) or state, a "home" membership must be declared with the member participating in competitive events as a representative of only the "home" 4-H unit.

4-H Age Divisions (ages are as of January 1st of the current year)

1. Clover members are 5-7 years.

2. Junior members are 8-10 years.

3. Intermediate members are 11-13 years.

4. Senior members are 14-18 years. (Note: youth with disabilities beyond the age of 18 may continue to participate in 4-H if he or she is enrolled in a high school program.)

Requirements for Organized Clubs
To be considered a 4-H club, there must be a minimum of five members enrolled between the ages of 8 and 18. The club must be organized with officers (president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, etc.) and have at least one adult MCE volunteer organizational leader. The club must have at least six regularly scheduled meetings and a written, planned educational program that provides a variety of learning experiences. The club must have written by-laws that were developed by the members that include an "open to all" statement.

Clover Clubs
Clover clubs may be organized as "stand alone" or combined with a club as described above. When in a combined program, Clovers must meet separately from older members to work on Clover curriculum activities. Clover clubs must have a minimum of two MCE Volunteers with training in the Clover curriculum and developmental characteristics of youth, ages 5-7. There must be at least five members and an adult/child ratio not greater than one adult to six children.

Other Types of 4-H Membership

Special Interest Groups and Short Term Programs
These programs are defined as groups of youth meeting for a series of defined learning experiences, usually a specific subject content, involving at least six hours of instruction. These programs are not part of a school curriculum and not restricted to members or organized clubs. MCE Volunteers should be involved in these clubs. If Clover members are included, they must be provided with age-appropriate activities and separated from older members.

School Enrichment
This program is defined as groups of youth receiving a sequence of 4-H learning experiences in cooperation with school officials, during school hours, to support the school curriculum with at least four hours of instruction. Extension staff, MCE volunteers, teachers or other school-based staff may do teaching.

Members at Large engage in planned learning that occurs independently or in organized clubs. Learning may take place as an individual, in pairs or as a family learning effort. The work is self-directed, usually with limited adult involvement except for parents or mentors. Self-study, home study, mentoring or shadowing with an expert, and whole families learning together are examples of 4-H independent or individual study.

For more member and/or club information see "Maryland 4-H Membership and Organizational Structures". Rev. 6/03. Information on chartering 4-H clubs is provided in a later section of this training.

Open to All
4-H provides wonderful learning experiences for young people - all young people. Enrollment in 4-H clubs and involvement in 4-H activities must be available to all youth without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age or disability. Clubs are required to make "all reasonable efforts" to recruit a diverse membership. Clubs that are not racially representative of the community where they are located must submit a brief quarterly report CD ROM (form AA 4-H 4) of efforts made to recruit diverse members. All clubs must submit an annual report that states the club's by-laws include an "open to all" statement. (form AA AF 13)

Recruiting a diverse membership is not always easy and your efforts will not always be successful, but please try. We ask that you make a good faith effort at "all reasonable efforts" and submit required reports about what you have done.

This topic will be covered more fully in a later unit.
Volunteer Quick Reference

Learning Check

New 4-Hers and their families are often confused about the term "4-H Age", which means the age a 4-Her was on January 1st of the current year. "4-H Age" is used most often for contests when the local winner advances to regional or state contests. "4-H Age" is also sometimes used to assure age appropriate activities are provided. When ages are given for local 4-H events, assume the actual age is meant if "4-H Age" is not mentioned. Call the 4-H Office if you're unsure. When would using "4-H Age" be important for 4-H events that are not contests?

Many people think bigger is better when it comes to 4-H clubs, but actually the opposite is true. The ideal size of a new club is about 10 to 12 members. To be considered an organized club there must be a minimum of 5 members between the ages of 8 and 18. What are some of the advantages to starting a new club with fewer members?

Membership in 4-H is open to all young people without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or parental status or disability. Recruiting a diverse club membership is sometimes difficult. How might you go about recruiting 4-Hers who don't look like you?

Online Learning Community

Please share your thoughts about one of the Learning Check topics with other volunteers by posting a message to the Online Learning Community discussion board. You must post a message to complete this lesson. Password: 4-H Vol

Next Lesson

Click on Finding Information and Resources to go to the next lesson after you've posted a message to the Online Learning Community.

For more information, contact Lisa Dennis

Last updated: 06/14/2009