Florida 4-H Program Handbook

SECTION 8: Criteria for Participation in 4-H Events and Activities

County, District, State and National Event Criteria

There are several types of criteria that youth may need to meet for participation in some events. These criteria are referred to as:

• General 4-H Participation Criteria
• Age Participation
• Program/Project Specific Criteria & Guidelines

General Participation Criteria

In order to participate in County, District, State, and National 4-H events and activities, a youth must already be a Florida 4-H member. Therefore, any enrollment/membership requirements must be satisfied before 4-H'ers become involved in supporting events and activities.

General Regulations for 4-H Members in District, State, or National Events

A participant must:

• be enrolled in the 4-H project, related project, or activity area for the event entered.
• meet any other regulations pertaining to the specific event or activity entered.
• have submitted the 4-H Member and Parent Agreement/Code of Conduct and Discipline Procedures Form signed by parent or guardian.
• have 2 copies of a completed, signed, and notarized Health Form.

For further information regarding these required forms see the section on PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES. 

Additional County Criteria

Any county specific criteria relating to general participation in events and activities should be determined by the local County 4-H Advisory Council.

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Age Criteria

Age requirements can vary for each of the 4-H events and activities held within the state. Age regulations are designed to give youth involved in 4-H events and activities the optimum experience in their respective programs. It is important for one to be aware of the various age requirements for 4-H'er participation in 4-H activities and events.

Eligibility for enrolled 4-H'ers (those who've met previously stated enrollment criteria) is determined by the youth's age as of September 1 of the current program year for which he/she is enrolled.

Levels of Participation by Age

4-H'ers 5-7 years of age (Cloverbuds)

Children under 8 years of age are ineligible to participate in competitive activities at any level (club, county, district, state, national, or international). 5-7 year olds may exhibit or share project activities at a participation level (for feedback), against a predefined standard. "Participation" awards may be given to this group, but not "placings". Additionally, 4-H'ers 5-7 years of age are not eligible to participate in any large animal project or activities which involve direct contact with the animal.

Junior Participants

Any 4-H'er 8-10 years old as of September 1 of current 4-H year is considered a junior.

Intermediate Participants

Any 4-H'er 11-13 years old as of September 1 of current 4-H year is considered a intermediate.

Senior Participants

Any 4-Her 14-18 years old as of September 1 will be considered a senior. The upper limit for 4-H participation in Florida is upon graduating from high school or upon completing the program year activities following their 18th birthday.

Information on age requirements for specific events can be found under the summary of the event published in the Florida 4-H Events and Activities Handbook.

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Program Specific Criteria and Guidelines

Program specific criteria and additional guidelines for project specific state competitive events and activities can be found in Florida 4-H Program Events and Activities Handbook. A summary of some of these criteria are:

Project Enrollment

Many of the supporting events and activities require that 4-H'ers have previous experience in project-related learning situations prior to being involved in a certain event. Competitive events generally require 1) enrollment at least 30 days prior to the event; and 2) youth to have completed one year of 4-H work, including the current year, prior to participating in a competitive event.

Attire

As part of any District or State event, proper conduct and dress by 4-H participants, leaders and agents is important. It is requested that local leaders and Extension agents make sure that proper attire is being worn by all county representatives. Appropriate dress means that clothes are neat, clean and modest. For some events, dress codes are published and distributed with registration packets.

Green and white fashions are appropriate for the event, however, youth will not be penalized in competitive situations if green and white attire is not available.

Exhibitions

Exhibition at county, area , state fairs or other exhibition events may have specific criteria and entrance requirements separate from the 4-H program. The two criteria that have been in question in past years relate to livestock and horse shows that use GPA entrance requirements and ages differing with 4-H policies.

The following situations should clarify the Florida 4-H policies and provide faculty with guidelines when faced with these situations.

Grade Point Average

Grade point average (GPA) cannot be a criterion for entry into any 4-H event.  The RAISE Bill, passed in 1984, states "In order for a student to be eligible to participate in interscholastic, extracurricular student activities, he/she must maintain a 1.5 (GPA) grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, for the semester immediately preceding participation." Several Fair Boards have adopted this rule as one of the conditions for youth participation in 4-H livestock shows and sales.

While the Florida Cooperative Extension Service (FCES) supports the law's intent, i.e., to improve student academic performance in high school, there are several reasons why FCES cannot preclude participation in 4-H livestock programs on the basis of GPA:

1. 4-H in Florida is not an extracurricular student activity conducted by the schools. 4-H is the community-based educational program of the University of Florida conducted in cooperation with USDA and county governments. Thus, 4-H livestock shows are designed as an important component of the 4-H educational experience and are not a school related extracurricular activity.
2. 4-H must make its programs available to all youth 5-18 years of age as set forth in the rules of the State Department of Education, Department of Universities, (see revised copy of rules), and USDA non-discrimination criteria. To use other criteria as a basis for participation is viewed as illegal.
3. Privacy of information laws state that student records are not open to non-school personnel, including county faculty, without student and/or family approval. Thus, county 4-H faculty are not in a legal position to monitor or enforce the GPA rule.

Livestock and Horse Shows

If 4-H is a partner with the Fair Board or sponsoring organization in planning, implementing and evaluating the livestock show and sale:

1. 4-H'ers 5-7 years of age are ineligible to enroll in any large animal projects (sheep, goat, swine, beef, dairy, llama, ostrich, or horse) or participate in any livestock or horse shows. A 4-H'er must be 8 years of age at the beginning of the current 4-H program year (SEPTEMBER 1) to be eligible to enroll in a large animal 4-H project and to own a large animal.
2. The GPA rule may not be used as a criterion for participation.

If 4-H is not a partner with the Fair Board or sponsoring organization in planning and conducting the program and these groups choose to control participation involving children under 8 years of age, using GPA or other criteria not acceptable to 4-H, then 4-H members may be invited to participate as private citizens. The sponsoring organization will be responsible for monitoring GPA or other participation criteria. In this instance, the cooperating organizations may not use the 4-H name and emblem in the title of the event or any promotional or fund raising activities.

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Definitions and Policies for Conducting 4-H Sponsored Open Shows

4-H sponsored open shows, often used as fund-raisers by 4-H at the club or county level, have a set of policies and guidelines that were adopted by the Program Development Committee (PDC) on November 1, 1996 with approval by Extension Administration. A complete copy of these guidelines can be found in the appendix. The defined policy guidelines are:

1. both 4-H and non 4-H youth can participate; adults can participate;
2. youth participation criteria will be consistent with 4-H participation policies;
3. policies and procedures for adult participants from an appropriate source such as American Quarter Horse Association will be used;
4. state liability protection will apply to Extension employees and 4-H volunteers planning and managing the event; Extension employees and 4-H volunteers may not be wantonly careless or negligent;
5. all parents or guardians of youth participants and the adult participants will sign appropriate registration forms and waiver of liability statements, as this show is not a part of the sustained 4-H educational program;
6. benefits from the show must be for 4-H; finances can be handled through a 4-H fund or foundation; shared sponsorships can be arranged;
7. the County Extension Director and appropriate/assigned Extension agent or specialists have overall responsibility when 4-H volunteers plan and conduct the show; other organizations and volunteers may also be involved;
8. the liability protections granted by the state for state employees, agents, and volunteers do not necessarily extend to non-state volunteers or other organizations.

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