The 4-H program is part of the nationwide educational system of the Cooperative Extension Service -- a three way partnership of the county governments, the state land-grant universities, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The early development of the 4-H program had its roots in the last decade of the 19th century. Progressive educators in town and city schools were introducing nature study into the curriculum. Cornell University was encouraging nature study as the basis of a better agricultural education, and school gardens were attracting attention in many places throughout the country. Rural educators, in response to a demand from farm people, introduced subjects which taught boys and girls to appreciate rural life and emphasized rural opportunities.

In 1898 professor Liberty Hyde Bailey of Cornell University introduced junior naturalist leaflets for use in rural schools and helped organize nature study clubs. Since many of the rural teachers had little preparation for teaching agricultural subjects, the experiment stations of the various state agricultural colleges furnished information.

When, in the early part of this century, professors at the agricultural colleges were organizing "Farmers' Institutes" to bring the latest scientific agricultural information to farmers, they also realized the need to provide instruction in agriculture for the children of these farmers. Various activities were organized and clubs were formed where students learned by doing.

The first Boys' and Girls' Clubs were officially organized in Idaho schools in the 1911-1912 school year. By the end of the first year there were thirty potato clubs and nineteen sewing clubs, with a total enrollment of 570 members. The movement gained new stimulus with the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 which established the Cooperative Extension Service jointly among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state land-grant universities and the counties. The Boys' and Girls' Clubs were transferred to the Extension Service from the Dept. of Public Instruction at this time. The modern 4-H clubs are an integral part of this cooperative extension work.

Although the Boys' and Girls' Clubs were the same as the 4-H Club of today, it was usually not referred to by that name. The four-leaf clover was used as an emblem, and reference was made to the four H's -- head, heart, hands, and health. In the mid-twenties the clubs gradually took up the name Boys' and Girls' Four-H Clubs, but it was not until 1948 that Congress authorized the use of the 4-H name and emblem.

The first 4-H shortcourse was held on the University of Idaho campus in 1923. Classes taught by extension personnel occupied the morning, while the afternoon was taken up with recreational activities and field trips. This shortcourse, now called the 4-H Congress, is still held at the U of I campus each summer.

Congressional support for 4-His evidenced by the 1970 funding of the 4-H expanded Food and Nutrition Education Programs for low income city youth, and 1973 appropriations for 4-H urban and community development programs. Two non-governmental organizations, the National 4-H Service Committee and the National 4-H Foundation, coordinate private support to 4-H nationally and assist in carrying out various programs for 4-H youth.

The national headquarters for 4-H is in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. State headquarters are at each state land-grant university. Each state has a state leader and a youth development staff administered by the state director of extension. Work in the counties is directed and supervised by county extension agent. Volunteer local leaders are the backbone of 4-H and assist agents by providing direct leadership and educational support to youth in the local neighborhoods and communities.

Today's 4-H program is for all youth, urban as well as rural. A variety of methods are now used to reach youth through 4-H: membership in the traditional 4-H clubs, participation in special interest groups, enrollment in short-term projects, 4-H educational TV, and special 4-H nutritional programs for low income city youth. Through the years the objective of 4-H has remained the same -- the development of youth as individuals and as responsible and productive citizens.