Why 4-H partners with schools
Did you know that 4-H offers youth programming for schools? In Placer, Nevada, Sutter, and Yuba Counties, our 4-H programming extends beyond clubs and camps and goes all the way into our school systems. Currently, we offer a variety of youth programming options for schools to consider. By partnering with schools, 4-H is able to extend our reach into the community by offering high-quality youth programming that utilizes evidence-based and evidence-informed 4-H curricula covering a wide range of relevant STEM topic areas.
How does this work?
While each county's registration system is different, there are some similar processes for how schools can request 4-H youth programming.
- The school site contact (e.g. expanded learning site coordinator or principal) contacts the 4-H Advisor at mrro@ucanr.edu to explain the school's needs.
- Complete a 4-H online web form to request a 4-H curriculum kit
- Complete a 4-H group enrollment form of youth demographics and logistical details
- Schedule a train-the-trainer with 4-H staff
- Schedule a 4-H kit pick-up at the county UC Cooperative Extension Office
- Implement the program
- Evaluate the program using 4-H measurements
- Bring the 4-H kit back to the county UC Cooperative Extension Office
What investment is needed?
The biggest investment needed is a solid partnership between the school site and the 4-H youth program. This partnership can look different for each school based on the needs of staff and students. Having a commitment to high-quality youth development programming is an important foundation upon which this partnership can be established.
Some may wonder how much it costs? Much of our 4-H program resources are publicly available for free, but some do require fees or modest contract agreements, based on the size and scope of the school's youth development programming needs.
What can my school get from a partnership with 4-H?
Partnering with the University of California 4-H program provides many useful benefits:
- High-quality staff professional development covering a range of STEM topics, such as embryology, healthy foods and food preparation practices, robotics, mental health, entomology, and more
- 4-H youth programming that supports the California Department of Education's Expanded Learning Standards (See attached PDF brochure)
- Continuous Quality Improvement through program evaluation (formative and summative assessments)
- Potential collaboration on youth development grants through our UC Cooperative Extension Land Grant Institution
- Opportunities for your youth to get additional leadership and service opportunities through our local 4-H community programming (clubs, summer camps, state leadership conferences, Washington DC trips, etc.)
- There are many more benefits of partnering with 4-H :)
How can I get started?
One way to get started is to fill out our county 4-H Expanded Learning online questionnaire so we can better understand your youth development needs. In addition, please reach out to Dr. Matthew Rodriguez at mrro@ucanr.edu to schedule a meeting.
