Record Books

The 4-H program has a long history of record keeping. The focus reflects the importance of this life skill in our daily lives. In 4-H, young people have tracked their activities, events, profits and losses, skill development and learning experiences, and much more using the iconic 4-H Record Book. In addition to record keeping, the 4-H Record Book gives members an opportunity to reflect on their year, measure their achievements and growth, and set goals, and develop plans to meet those goals.

New Record Book Manuals for Spark & Star Rank. 

Why have 4-H record books?

4-H Record Books serve a variety of purposes in the California 4-H Youth Development Program.

• 4-H Record Books give members an opportunity to reflect on their yearly work. They document their skill development and their learning experiences in a written report. 4-H members measure their achievements and growth in their total years in 4-H.
• 4-H Record Books encourage members to set goals, pursue strategies to meet those goals, and to shift gears in the face of challenges and obstacles. Completion of the Personal Development Report awards 4-H members for participation in 4-H activities, which provides an incentive for participation, learning, and achievement.
• Completing a 4-H Record Book is a process where 4-H members record project and club work. Records management (RM) is a competency skill to identify, create, classify, archive, and preserve records. The 4-H Record Book teaches 4-H members these skills through a standard format.

MINIMUM PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS for INCENTIVES & RECOGNITION and FAIR:

Outlined below you will find the MINIMUM requirements to participate in the incentives and recognition program and all fairs. Keep in mind that additional requirements may be required and are outlined below.

1. Must be enrolled in club and projects by December 31st of the program year.
2. For each project, complete a minimum of six (6) hours of project instruction or more as required by the project leader.
3. Complete the Annual Project Report (APR) from date of enrollment OR 4-H year (July 1^st to June 30^th)
   1. Turn APR into the 4-H office for each livestock project showing at the fair by due date listed on 4-H Council Calendar, newsletter, or email from 4-H office prior to showing at fair.
4. Incentives and Recognition Eligibility Youth may enroll in 4-H at any time, however to be eligible for Incentive & Recognition awards members must:
   1. Meet the minimum participation requirements identified above to be considered for the following:
      1. year pin & stripe
      2. star level

• record book competition

1. record books are not a requirement for participation in club activities, events or conferences San Benito County Adopted: August 22ndh, 2016 4-H Youth Development Program
2. members enrolling after December 31st are eligible to earn record book credits for their cumulative totals but are not eligible to earn star ranking during the initial partial year
3. to receive record book credit for any given project, you must attend a minimum of 80% of all the project meetings iv. project proficiency awards/pins

• Eligibility to Exhibit at Fairs All 4-H exhibitors must:
  1. Meet the minimum participation requirements identified above.
  2. Complete additional requirements as determined by the project leader, in accordance with the county 4-H YDP staff.
  3. Meet eligibility requirements by the time fair entry forms are due. This applies to San Benito County 4-H members participating in any and all fairs, not just those identified below.
  4. All 4-H livestock project exhibitors (including market, breeding, meat pens of rabbits or poultry) must:
  5. Meet the ownership requirements as outlined in UC Policy
  6. Member must be currently enrolled in club and project(s) for no less than 60 consecutive days prior to the start date of the fair c. Attend 80% of all species project meetings for each species you take to the fair
  7. Must exhibit a still display at the Salinas Valley, Monterey, and San Benito County Fairs as per fair policies.

Not Required for 4-H Membership

4-H Record Books are not required for membership or for participation in 4-H activities such as club events and activities, or for attending 4-H camps or conferences. A 4-H Record Books may be required to receive participation awards (such as star ranking, medals or pins based on 4-H Record Book achievements).