New Hampshire’s 4-H Youth Development program is reaching out to communities and into existing after-school programs through 4-H Afterschool. More and more young people, ages 5-14, are enrolled in after-school programs each week day afternoon.

Partnering with 4-H, these programs have access to quality staff training, juried national 4-H curriculum, and 4-H events and activities at the local, county and even state level.

4-H Afterschool is a National 4-H Council initiative focused on partnering with local communities to build high quality, unique and customized programs around the diverse interests and needs of youth. Currently UNH Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development educators have written partnership plans with 18 after-school programs, including at least one in every county. Through these plans, after-school programs work with us to establish 4-H Afterschool programs and clubs within their ongoing program schedule.

Two new 4-H Afterschool curriculum kits, Easy Cooking for Fit YOUth and Aerospace are available this fall for after-school program partners. These kits, developed by the 4-H Afterschool Work Team, are funded by the 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire. Training on their use is scheduled for November as part of three regional training experiences for 4-H volunteers, including after-school program staff.

The trainings are funded in part by Monsanto Company and National 4-H Council. A two-year $500,000 award from Monsanto Company to National 4-H Council is supporting hands-on training experiences for 540,000 4-H volunteers, who provide 4-H youth across America with opportunities to learn leadership, citizenship and life skills.