Members

All youth that want to join 4-H must enroll annually. Most San Diego County  4-H clubs allow year round enrollment though few do have limited enrollment dates. Please check with the individual club to determine if there is a cut off date for enrollment. The San Diego Enrollment schedule generally follows the traditional school year calendar with the majority of clubs begin enrolling in September.

It is important to check with the 4-H club leader on how to best enroll. There are two options for enrollment; online enrollment through the 4hOnline system and for Spanish speakers, paper forms.

Click Here for the Steps to Enroll

Primary

Must be 5 years old by December 31st of the program year. Youth enrolling or turning nine on or after January 1 must participate as a primary member until June 30th. For safety reasons, primary members cannot enroll in large animal projects, shooting sports, and sewing with a sewing machine. Approved primary member animal projects are dogs, rabbits, rats, cats, poultry, mice, embryology, bees, entomology, marine science, pygmy, Nigerian and dwarf goats and therapeutic animal projects.

Junior, Intermediate, Senior 4-Hers

Must be 9 years old by December 31st of the program year and may continue in the program until December 31st of the year in which they become 19 years of age. (See below for more information on these membership types.)

• Junior 4-H Members (9 - 10 years old)
• Intermediate 4-H Members (11 - 13 years old)
• Senior 4-H Members (14 - 19 years old)

Junior & Teen Leaders

The junior and teen leadership experience is designed to provide members with the opportunity to learn about the qualities and competencies needed to be a leader. Leadership is not doing things for the group, it is helping the group decide what needs to be done and how. Junior leaders provide assistance while teen leaders assume more challenging leadership roles.

Junior leaders (intermediate members): To become a junior leader, members 11 and no more than 13 years old as of December 31 of the program year.

Teen leaders (senior members): To become a teen leader, members must be at least 14 years old as of December 31 of the program year.

Base fee for participating in San Diego County 4-H for members, plus material fees for projects:

New families are $75 for the year.
Returning families: 
$75 July - Sep
$85 Oct - Dec
$100 Jan - June

Base fee for volunteer leaders in San Diego County is $30.

Clubs are authorized to charge additional fees for miscellaneous expenses such as awards, mailings, office supplies, etc... Please check with the individual club for more current information.

During the course of the year members may wish to participate in shows and fairs to demonstrate their mastery of project animals or materials. Clubs may assist with these fees but parents and members should be aware that many of these shows and fairs do charge entry fees.