by Donna Emert

A four-day school week is now in effect in rural school districts within Idaho and across the U.S. to address budget shortfalls. On the fifth day, University of Idaho Extension 4-H programs in several Idaho counties help students, their families, and their communities fill the education and childcare gap.

If districts’ savings and kids’ reactions are any barometer, the benefits of a four-day week and fifth day 4-H programs are significant.

“I like four days. It’s nice to get a day off,” says Audra Henderson, longtime 4-H member and Orofino High School junior. School and 4-H programming are each valuable and distinctive, she notes. “There’s definitely a different sort of curriculum. 4-H teaches you work  habits, responsibility, how to make yourself a better  person, and how to present yourself in a better way to your community. It’s teaching me a lot.”

Boundary County schools meet budget

UI Extension Sarah Howe, above,
helps K-6 students with craft projects
during a recent Friday in Boundary County
Middle School. Youth top and below
work on puzzles and construction
paper projects. Photos by Mark LaMoreaux.

In Idaho’s northernmost Boundary County, the short week saved the district $268,000 in operating costs last year, increased student and teacher attendance by nearly five percent, and helped District 101 achieve federal No Child Left Behind Act requirements for the first time.  

University of Idaho Extension is playing a crucial role in Boundary County School District’s successful transition to the four-day week, providing programs that give students a safe and structured place to be and learn on Fridays. This fall, UI Extension’s Boundary County  fifth day program serves over 50 kindergarten through sixth grade children and their middle and high school mentors from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each Friday.

The Explore 4-H Afterschool Fun program is housed in Boundary County Middle School. It includes a wide variety of hands-on educational activities presented by Angel Merritt, Vista Volunteer; Sarah Howe, UI Extension educator; and Erika Thiel, 4-H program coordinator. UI Extension Nutrition Program Adviser Gwen Hansen also teaches participating youth how to safely prepare healthy meals and snacks.

A pedometer program in 2005 had kids and volunteers logging real miles each Friday to achieve their destination goal of Disneyland. 

“We made it to Disneyland and halfway into Mexico,” said Thiel, who looked forward to a new pedometer adventure in 2006.

“We have those parents who work a five-day schedule, and that leaves kids unsupervised,” said Boundary School District Superintendent Don Bartling. The 4-H program “has been outstanding and it’s well utilized within the school district. It meets the needs of both parents and the students.”

The only alternative for working families is paid daycare.

Clearwater County’s 4-H options

“The community has responded quite well to the four-day week,” said Dale Durkee, District 171 superintendent.

The school district’s schedule change has doubled enrollment in 4-H programs, says Tami Wayt, UI Extension office manager in Orofino. County 4-H leaders also are using three unscheduled Fridays a month to offer half-day programs ranging from sewing and livestock care to small engine repairs and scrap booking.

“We have about 180 members enrolled in 4-H in Clearwater County,” said Marie Armitage, 4-H program assistant. “Our Friday programs help families with parents who work.  It takes the worry away from the  parents knowing their kids are well chaperoned and are dong something fun and educational.”

This county near the southern end of Idaho’s panhandle also felt a spike in demand for trained childcare. 4-H meets that need. “When the district went to the four-day week, we tweaked the 4-H child development program to create a babysitting clinic,” said Wayt.

The clinics, presented in communities throughout the district, help middle and high school students who are often already providing childcare, training them in child safety and nutrition. Clinic enrollment in 2006 totaled 37; 20 in 2005. 4-H offers the training each spring. “Youths finish before school is out and can then put the word out that they are available for summer childcare jobs,” said Wayt.

Rachel Jones, 12, is a clinic grad. “I learned how to take care of an emergency, like if the baby is choking, and just learned important safety rules,” said Jones. “If you didn't know what to do, it was good information. It helps you to not get scared or panic.”

Although better-trained sitters put parents at ease, childcare costs arising from the four-day school week place a financial strain on some families. 4-H programs are free after an initial  enrollment fee of $6 a year. “The cost is the same whether students pursue one project or 20,” said Wayt. “We sponsor children whose families can’t meet that. We have a great bunch of support volunteers who pay kids’ fees throughout the year.”

In addition to traditional programs, 4-H volunteer Tim Roehr offers Clearwater County students a “Just  for Fun Trip” twice monthly, using a UI surplus vehicle known locally as the blue bus. Roehr, with other chaperones, takes students aged 8 to 18 to the UI entomology museum and recreation center in Moscow; Palouse Falls State Park; Asotin County Aquatic Park at Clarkston; the bike path in Coeur d’Alene, and other destinations. Trip costs are kept at $10 or under. Generous community members pick up costs for those who cannot pay.

Bear Lake County draws 200-plus

UI Extension also offers fifth day youth programs in Idaho’s southeastern most county—Bear Lake. From October 2005 through May 2006, once-a-month 4-H Friday programs drew 208 young participants. Programs are delivered  by UI Extension Educator Sharlene Woffinden and 4-H assistants Maryanne Stevens and Charmaine Harwood.

Fridays not designated  as 4-H Fridays still feature many kid-centric activities, including a monthly, county-wide 4-H livestock club meeting and Bear Lake Middle School drama club activities. The first 4-H Friday of the academic year offers youth ages 8 to 13 training in home safety, including discussion of a home evacuation plan.

Beginning in January, 4-H Fridays will focus on 4-H projects children can complete to exhibit at the fair.

Jennifer Bee, 9, active in 4-H, participated in last year’s 4-H walking club, bicycle safety program, cake decorating, and wildlife camp. She  also went through a 4-H dog-training program culminating in a pet show at the county fair this fall. Bee and her dog Buttons pulled off a satisfying of  “second place for softest dog.”

The hands-on curriculum offered through Idaho 4-H is research-based and nationally piloted and evaluated.  In addition to the hundreds served in  4-H Afterschool Friday programs, 3,200 Idaho youth were served from 2004 to 2006 by 4-H afterschool weekday programs offered in 18 Idaho counties.

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