How to Join a 4-H Club

1. The best time to join 4-H is in the fall or winter. The enrollment deadline is April 1, so you must be enrolled before that date to participate in Franklin County Fair activities.

2. Click here for a list of current Franklin County 4-H Clubs.

3. When choosing a 4-H club, look for a club that meets during a time and in a place that works for your family’s schedule.

4. If your child will be a Cloverbud (age five as of Jan. 1 of the current year and enrolled in kindergarten), be sure to select a club that accepts members within your child’s age range. 4-H project members must be age eight as of Jan. 1 of the current year and enrolled in third grade.

5. Look for a club that supports members taking the types of projects your family is interested in (non-animal projects, sewing, livestock, dogs, horses, shooting sports1).

6. Once you’ve found a club that is a good fit for your family, contact the advisor to learn more about the club. For example, you may want to ask about the club’s meeting schedule, meeting location, participation/attendance requirements, club dues and fundraisers, club size, and what kind of involvement is expected from the members’ parents and/or guardians. You even can visit one of the club’s meetings or activities if you’d like.

7. Once you’ve selected a club, make it official and enjoy the experience! Be sure to complete the online enrollment by following your club leader's instructions.

If you can’t find a 4-H club that fits your family’s needs, maybe you should consider starting a club of your own! Contact Beth Boomershine for more information on how to become a 4-H volunteer club advisor and starting your own club. It’s an extremely rewarding experience!

Membership Eligibility

Youth are eligible for 4-H membership as a Cloverbud when a child is age five as of Jan. 1 of the current year and is enrolled in kindergarten. Click here for more information about the Cloverbud program. Youth are eligible for membership in the 4-H club program when a child is at least age eight as of Jan. 1 of the current year and is enrolled in third grade.  Ohio 4-H membership ends Dec. 31 of the year in which an individual becomes 19-years-old. Membership begins when an eligible individual is enrolled in a club or group that operates within the scope of Ohio State University Extension and is under the direction of a trained adult who has completed the Ohio State University Extension volunteer selection process. 

When to Join 4-H

The Franklin County 4-H enrollment deadline is April 1, 2025. Any youth that wishes to take their project to the Franklin County Fair in the summer must be enrolled in a Franklin County 4-H club by April 1. Therefore, we recommend beginning the process of joining a 4-H club in late fall or early winter, to ensure your family is formally enrolled by April 1, 2025.  

Special Consideration Projects

Livestock

Information regarding 4-H Livestock projects that are exhibited at the Franklin County Fair can be found by visiting https://www.fcfair.org/franklin-county-fair/junior-fair/livestock/. Members taking livestock projects will want to pay close attention the livestock requirement summary.

Horses

Information regarding 4-H Horse projects that are exhibited at the Franklin County Fair can be found by visiting https://go.osu.edu/fchorse

Dogs

Members completing a dog 4-H project are encouraged to work with the specialized dog 4-H clubs in Franklin County. This is not required but the dog project usually entails extra project experiences that can be obtained in a dog club.

Shooting Sports

The Ohio 4-H Shooting Sports program teaches young people the safe and responsible use of archery equipment, including the fundamentals of firing air guns, .22 caliber and muzzleloading rifles, pistols, and shotguns; the basic principles of hunting; and the value of studying historic lifestyles and heritage crafts. The 4-H Shooting Sports program only is administered through certified shooting sports instructors, and members may only take shooting sports projects if their instructor has been certified in that specific discipline. Franklin County 4-H members interested in taking a shooting sport project have two options:

• Join the Franklin County Shooting Sports 4-H Club by contacting Sharla at sharla.house@gmail.com (preferably by February of the upcoming 4-H year)

• If you already belong to a Franklin County 4-H club and would like to take a shotgun, rifle, pistol, or archery project, please contact Dave at integradeer@gmail.com. Dave offers shooting sports instruction from  March through June at a shooting location in Plain City, Ohio.