Lewis and Clark County 4-H Program Overview
Enrollment opens October 1st
The 4-H year runs from October 1st-September 30th each year.
Re-Enrollment forms and a $10.00 enrollment fee are due to the Extension Office by December 31st (for both youth and adult members).Re-enrollments forms received after December 31st will require $50.00 membership dues (for both youth and adult members).
The deadline to enroll and participate in Fair is May 1st.
Step 1
Getting Started
The best way to get started in 4-H is to first decide which club works best for you based on meeting times, dates, and location. Review the Club Meeting Dates and Locations link below to help with your selection. Don't let the name of the club stop you from checking them out. In our county, members in all clubs are involved in a variety of projects. You must be a member of a club to participate in county project activities and workshops.
(Canyon Creek Stock & Silver Creek Stock 4-H Clubs are full)
Step 2
Join a Club
Contact the Club Leader and express your interest in joining the club. Find out about the club activities, requirements and expectations. Club Leaders are a great resource to guide you through the process. There are likely to be changes in the club list and leaders the start of each 4-H year.
(Canyon Creek Stock & Silver Creek Stock 4-H Clubs are full)
Step 3
Enroll
Complete 4-H enrollment by scrolling down to enrollment information.
Enrollment costs $20 per person. Several projects require additional project fees which will be collected when participating in the project.
Please take a look at the Clover for project information and general 4-H guidelines/rules.
Step 5
Stay Connected and Informed
Check the monthly Newsletter, 4-H website, Lewis & Clark County 4-H Instagram page, and Lewis & Clark County 4-H facebook page for the latest news, project workshops, county activities, and project contact information.
Review the New 4-H Family Handbook.
Montana 4-H Age Requirements
Participation in 4-H is divided into the following age groups based on the educational and developmental needs of each group. "4-H age" refers to the members' age on the first day of the program year, October 1st.
Cloverbuds: 5-7 years old
Junior/Intermediate: 8-13 years old
Senior: 14-19 years old
Volunteers - 19 years and older
In addition, some 4-H projects have age requirements for participation. Project-specific age requirements are noted in the Clover at the beginning of the project description.
Enrollment Information
Enrollment is completely online through ZSuites
- You can begin enrolling/re-enrolling on October 1st each year.
- New 4-H Family Handbook
Age Requirements
4-H age is always calculated using October 1 of the current 4-H year. For example, if a 4-H member turns 14 on December 15, their 4-H age is still 13 years old until the next 4-H year.
- Cloverbud: 4-H members 5-8 years old (as of October 1). This is the only option for members under 8 years old. It is a non-competitive educational project and is the only project they can enroll.
- Traditional 4-H Member: Youth who are 8-18 years old (as of October 1). Members may participate fully in the program and competitive activities. This category is broken down further into the following categories often used for competitions and events:
- Junior 4-H Member: Members who are 8-13 years old (as of October 1)
- Senior 4-H Member: Members who are 14-18 years old (as of October 1)
Project Requirements
Due to safety concerns, some projects have age limitations. The following project areas follow different age guidelines:
- Green Horse and Colt-to-Maturity (Horse): Must be at least 12 years old (and completed levels 1-3 of Horsemanship)
- Leadership: Must be at least 13 years old (as of October 1)
- Shooting Sports: Must be at least 9 years old (as of October 1)
4-H membership is open to all eligible youth. Montana State University Extension does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and the Montana State University Extension Service prohibit discrimination in all of their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital and family status. Issued in furtherance of cooperative extension work in agriculture and home economics, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeff Bader, Director of Extension, Extension Service, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717