Letter to 4-H Families

Dear 4-H Families,
I’d like to welcome everyone to the start of another 4-H year! This year is going to look really different; some events are moving online and some events are being moved later into the 4-H year. We will do our best to communicate changes the best we can, and we appreciate everyone’s continued flexibility. As you look at the calendar, highlight a few events that you’ve never done before, and give it a try!

A note about the blog. At the bottom of this letter, you will see a “table of contents” containing all the blog posts for the September news. In order to stay up to date on the month’s news, finding the monthly educator letter (this post) will help summarize the list of events in the news for the month. You can always find the monthly letter by searching the month (first 3 letters) and year and the word educator. (sep20 educator). You may want to print this post, to use the table of contents below as a checklist.

If your club is meeting online, the 4-H office is happy to help your club set up a zoom meeting. The beginning of the 4-H year is the best time to discuss goals and develop a year-long plan for the 4-H club. It’s also a great time to take an interest inventory and identify project areas that interest members of your club. Volunteering as a project leader is a way parents can contribute to the success of the club, and is a huge help for the club leader. It is not necessary for project leaders to have an expertise in a project area to be a successful project leader. Organizing project groups by scheduling and facilitating meetings is the most important role of a project leader. If you are leading a project group and need help with planning, please contact the county 4-H educator, Kristin Cook, at kristin@udel.edu.

Some of the most popular project groups include areas where we offer contests, including: Archery, Photography, Foods, Horticulture, Wildlife, Clothing Judging, Woodworking, and animal related project groups such as Horse, Livestock and Dairy. There are many other projects too, for example Fishing or Public Presentation. To see a list of project areas that offer project curriculum books, contact the office. Project groups are the backbone of the 4-H program.

I can’t wait to see all the great work that is documented in 4-Her record books, which should be submitted by September 18th. You can find multiple formats on our website, including a “fillable”
PDF. Please check with your 4-H leader for instructions on how to submit your record book. Recognition for record books will be given at the virtual Kent County Achievement Banquet on October 18th. We will be recognizing many youth that afternoon, and we are asking 4-H clubs and 4-H members to join us~ more details will be shared early October on how to join the event virtually! The recognition that takes place is a result of the very type of programs that help mold our youth into young outstanding leaders.

I’d like to mention that National 4-H week is October 4th-10th and to celebrate this week, Delaware 4-H is planning a fun “4-H Spirit Week”. Please note: litter barrel and window display contests will be moved to the spring. In place, each county is sponsoring a yard sign contest, with selected winners moving on to a state level competition. Please see the blog post for information about participating in this fun contest. We will be printing the winning yard signs and sharing them throughout the county. I’m looking forward to seeing the ideas and creativity of our 4-H members and clubs as they design a promotional 4-H yard sign.

The Paper Clover campaign will take place October 7th-18th. Please be sure to stop by your favorite Tractor Supply Store and purchase a clover to support your local 4-H program. We do get those
funds in our county, so every clover helps! Thank you for your continued support of this initiative, it really makes a difference.

Finally, when you begin participating in 4-H, one of the first things you should do is enroll as a member in 4-H Online, the sooner the better. However, due to an upgrade to 4-H Online 2.0, the enrollment system will not open until October 1. New members may enroll now, but be aware they will need to renew after October 1. Anyone who is currently enrolled will need to re-enroll after October 1. Caroline, our 4-H Administrative Assistant is the 4-H Online expert in our county, and is very helpful in getting members enrolled. Please contact her at 730-4000 or cadv@udel.edu with any questions.

Yours in 4-H,
Kristin Cook, Extension Educator, 4-H & Youth Development

Important Information, Meeting Dates, and Deadlines (click on the link for detailed information)

Judging Contests September 14th and 15th – Registration Required

22nd Annual Kent County Basket Auction

Zoom for Rookies September 30th

Achievement Banquet Award Applications Due September 18th

Project/Record Books Due 9/18 – Zoom help sessions available

DE 4-H Volunteer Virtual Brainstorming Session

4-H Yard Sign Challenge

4-H Leaders Meeting – September 17th at 7:00 PM

Junior Council Meeting – September 15th at 7:00 PM

Delaware 4-H Foundation Financial Support Request due October 1st