Starting a 4-H Club

• 1) Start Here: Is a 4-H Club Right for You?
  • Clubs are led by screened adult volunteers and powered by youth leadership.
  • Meet regularly (typically monthly) to learn by doing, serve the community, and build life skills.
  • Works great for families, schools, after-school programs, faith groups, and community partners.
• 2) Club Basics (What You’ll Need)
  • Two screened adult volunteers (Club Leader + Co-Leader). Volunteer screening costs $77 per adult and is good for 5 years
  • At least 5 youth from 2+ families (ages 5–18).
  • A regular meeting place (school, community center, virtual) approved by the 4-H Agent.
  • Annual enrollment in 4HOnline for each youth.
• 3) Club Leaders/Volunteers: Apply, Screen, and Train

  Follow these steps

  Step 1	Apply and get background screened
  Step 2	Register for an orientation session
  Step 3	Shadow a current 4-H volunteer or staff for 5 hours
  Step 4	Begin volunteering!

   Learn more about volunteering

• 4) Enroll Your Youth Members
  • Families create/update accounts in 4HOnline. [Enroll in 4HOnline]
    • Youth Member Enrollment Instructions - 4-H Online
  • Enrollment fee: $20 per youth
  • Age divisions (as of Sept 1): Cloverbud 5–7 (non-competitive), Junior 8–10, Intermediate 11–13, Senior 14–18.
• 5) Plan Your Year (Simple Roadmap)
  • Hold 6–10 meetings across the year.
  • Do at least one service project and one field trip/guest speaker.
  • Encourage youth to set goals, keep project records, and present.
  • Add county/state opportunities (events, fairs, camps) to your calendar.

  Download the Club Organizational Form

• 6) Volunteer Handbook

  Visit the Broward County 4-H Volunteer Manual

  The manual contains a wealth of information, from how to start a club, to planning field trips, to how to work with youth and maintaining youth protection and safety. Other publications referred to in the series may be available here: Ask IFAS: Topic - UF/IFAS Extension Initiative 7: 4-H Youth Development or from the 4-H office. This series is intended to provide the information you need to be successful as a 4-H volunteer and, especially, to start and lead a 4-H club.

• 7) Annual Club Renewal

  To renew your club, leaders must submit the following paperwork annually.

  A. Club Organizational Form

  B. 2025-2026 Club Leader Agreement

  C. Civil Rights Compliance Form