The Montana 4-H program year is October 1 through September 30

Classifications

Age Range
Cloverbud 5 to 7* years old
Junior/ Intermediate 8 to 13 years old
Senior 14 to 19 years old

 

Cloverbuds

Any youth who is 5 years old on October 1 may join a 4-H Cloverbud group. This ensures that a youth will have their 6th birthday at some time during their first year enrolled as a cloverbud.

Cloverbuds is a non-competitive educational program for youth ages 5 to 8 years of age and is the ONLY project they can enroll in.

4-H Members

4-H membership is open to all eligible youth. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Montana State University and Montana State University Extension 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.

Youth age 8 on October 1 may join a regular 4-H club as a full member who can enroll in several different projects. This ensures that a youth will have their 9th birthday at some time during their first year enrolled as a 4-H member. 

*Given the differing maturity and ability of youth this age, a family may choose to have their child continue in a Cloverbud group even though s/he will turn 9 during the coming year (are eligible to be a full member).

If a youth turns 19 years of age prior to the beginning of the program year (October 1), they are not eligible to re-enroll in 4-H unless still in high school.

Individuals older than 18 years of age who have special needs are eligible to participate in 4-H provided they are still enrolled in high school.

4-H Age

In recognition of the educational and developmental needs of youth, a youths 4-H age is used to determine which level of projects and participation a youth might be enrolled in based on age.

4-H age is determined based on the members age on the first day of the program year (October 1). 

Examples:

Senior 4-H Member: to be 4-H age 14 a youth must turn 14 ON or BEFORE October 1 of the program year.
4-H Shooting Sports: to be 4-H age 9 a youth must turn 9 ON or BEFORE October 1 of the program year.
Colt to Maturity Project: to be 4-H age 11 a youth must turn 11 ON or BEFORE October 1 of the program year.

Some 4-H projects may have age requirements for participation. These can be found in the Clover Project Selection guide at the beginning of the project description.