July 6th, 2021 Update
RESUMPTION OF 4-H IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES UPDATE
On June 30, 2021, Governor Inslee reopened Washington under the Washington Ready plan. For those who are not vaccinated, we recommend that they continue to wear masks indoors. Also, we encourage everyone to wear masks for safety and to model the behavior for youth, who are still required to wear masks.
In-person Guidelines & Resources
March 12th, 2021 Update
Dear 4-H Community,
WSU and Washington State 4-H have agreed upon a model to allow for some in-person 4-H activities to be approved.
What does this mean for Kittitas 4-H?
- No club or group can meet in person without approval from the 4-H office.
- Clubs or groups may seek approval to offer an in-person participation option for activities that cannot reasonably take place virtual or through at-home learning.
- Virtual or at-home learning options are still the first choice for all activities that can be conducted virtually, independently, or at-a-distance.
Interested in applying to host a 4-H activity in-person? Please keep these important points to keep in mind:
- You may apply for approval to run a single activity in-person or series of activities in-person. Just email or call Brittany.Briggs@wsu.edu or 509-388-2588 (9am-5pm) to get started.
- Getting an in-person activity approved takes time and creative planning! We request you notify the 4-H Office at least four weeks prior to the event. We’ll work together to develop a safety and participation plan, which then has to be approved by the County Director, Washington State 4-H, and WSU.
- An in-person activity must meet several conditions in order to be approved. The most notable (as of March 12th, 2021) include:
- The activity cannot reasonably be completed virtually or through at-home learning.
- The nature of the activity allows for all safety procedures to be followed (e.g., physical distancing, masks, proper sanitation).
- The activity doesn’t mix youth in groups larger than fifteen.
- There are at least two certified volunteers (or a combination of certified volunteers and staff) present.
- All key personnel/participants have completed safety training.
- The plan includes a virtual or at-home option to ensure the opportunity to participate isn’t limited by safety or health concerns.
Examples of recently held in-person activities include:
- A community service event where members in small (current group size allowance), distanced groups helped ready the yard of a family dealing with tragedy for the holidays (at-home option: youth could create or donate holiday décor).
- An equine clinic where members in small (current group size allowance), distanced groups rode their horses at an open-air arena to receive feedback and support from a clinician (virtual option: youth could submit a riding video and receive clinician feedback).
Would you like to work with us to create an in-person plan for future activities? Or would you like support in running virtual meetings or at-home activities? We have lots of ideas and resources to share! Please reach out!
We recognize that there is still much uncertainty to navigate as we began to plan for in-person activities this spring and as public health measures changes so will our policies. We are thankful for your dedication to 4-H and the perseverance you have modeled for our youth. We love seeing the ways our 4-H community is staying connected virtually and through porch pick-ups — you are so creative!
RESOURCES:
- 4-H In-Person Flowchart: a simplified breakdown of the approval process
- 4-H Club Zoom Tips, Sample Agenda & Activities
- 4-H At-Home Learning Links
- Kittitas 4-H From Home Links & Ideas
OFFICE & STAFF ACCESS
Since March 16th 2020, the WSU Extension Office has been closed to the public, and personnel are teleworking. We are available via phone, email, or by scheduled video-conference.
If you have questions about the status of an upcoming event please contact Andrea Morse, Extension Assistant (amorse@wsu.edu or 509-962-7507) or Brittany Briggs, 4-H Program Manager (brittany.briggs@wsu.edu or 509-388-2588 9am-5pm).
If you have questions about our response to COVID-19 please contact Brittany Briggs Pearson, 4-H Program Manager (brittany.briggs@wsu.edu or 509-388-2588 9am-5pm) or Alison White, 4-H Regional Specialist (alison.white@wsu.edu or 509-707-8066 10am-6pm).
Pledging our health to better living,
Kittitas County 4-H
October 7th, 2020 Update
Dear 4-H Community,
These challenging times have increased our resilience and required endurance in nearly every aspect of your lives. We recognize that there is still much uncertainty to navigate. Thank you for the dedication you continue to have for the 4-H program and the perseverance you have modeled for our youth. We love seeing the ways our 4-H community is staying connected virtually. We know you are anxious to work and learn together in-person.
We are happy to share that WA 4-H’s plan for reopening small group meetings has been approved by the WSU Extension administration. The approved plan follows our state’s Safe Start Phases which allows for small groups to meet in-person prior to a county being in Phase 4.
What does this mean for Kittitas 4-H?
- Some clubs or groups may elect to offer an in-person participation option for activities like hands-on project meetings. However, no club or group is required to offer in-person activities.
- Virtual or at-a-distance options are still our first-choice for all activities that can be conducted online, independently, or at-a-distance.
- Any in-person activity must also include a virtual or at-a-distance option to ensure the opportunity to participate isn’t limited by safety concerns.
- Because time is needed to ensure we are ready to comply with the state-approved plan, in-person options likely will not start until November or December.
- As of Oct. 7, we are in Phase 3, which means small groups are defined as 10 or less people (2 certified volunteers + up to 8 youth, or 10 adults). This means many clubs or groups may not be able to meet in-person with their full membership at one time–multiple activity times may need to be offered to ensure all who wish to participate in-person can.
What happens next?
- Step 1: Local 4-H personnel will meet to review the reopening plan and develop a plan to roll-out the changes to our 4-H community.
- Step 2: Local 4-H personnel will reach out to volunteers and families to assess interest, ideas, and concerns regarding offering small group in-person activities. Local 4-H personnel will begin making arrangements with facility and funding partners to ensure we can meet safety requirements.
- Step 3: Local 4-H personnel will support clubs and groups in determining what activities are appropriate for in-person programming and support volunteers and families in participating safely (e.g., training, room preparation, PPE access).
It is important to us that we are thoughtful and transparent about any plans and will proceed cautiously to keep us from adding to the confusion and frustration we experience when plans are changed again and again. Thank you for your dedication to 4-H. We will reach out soon to ask for your interest, ideas, and concerns. In the meantime, if you could use help regarding how to hold fun and engaging virtual 4-H meetings or need at-a-distance project activity ideas please don’t hesitate to reach out.
All our best,
Alison, Brittany, & Andrea
May 20th, 2020 Update
As always, our top priorities are (1) health and safety and (2) positive youth development. 4-H is committed to ensuring that any youth that misses an important/required event, activity, or meeting–at the club or county level–due to health-concerns is given opportunities to make-up was what missed and continue their work in 4-H.
PROGRAM GUIDANCE
We are closely following guidance from the , and are modeling activity-adaptations, postponements, and cancellations on their recommendations for youth and community programs. We are also following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WA State Department of Health (DOH) regarding youth and community programs.
Currently, the CDC recommends that people stay home as much as possible, avoid close contact with others, and avoid crowds; especially older adults and persons with underlying health conditions (e.g., heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, people with weakened immune systems).
EVENTS
As of May 19th 2020, all in-person Kittitas County 4-H events will take place virtually or at-a-distance.
We understand there are concerns surrounding purchasing a market animal project. We have put together a letter that addresses those concerns, you can find here: Livestock Concerns Letter.
With the cancelation of weigh-ins, the Livestock Committee has removed any weight gain requirements (average daily gain for Beef & Goat) to sell an animal. Animals will still need to be tagged by June 30th. Tags will be mailed out to exhibitors – more information on our tagging plan will come soon.
Elements of affected pre-shows and judging clinics will be moved to online education or postponed. Concerns about COVID-19 are evolving rapidly, so the 4-H office is working to draft contingency plans for summer events to review with event leadership and implement if necessary.
CLUB MEETINGS
All clubs are asked to either (A) reformat any in-person meetings, now through June 19th, to occur via video-conference, phone conference, Facebook groups, or email, or (B) postpone or cancel planned club meeting activities. We recommend Zoom video-conferencing (sign-up for a free account here). It is a great tool, with or without health-concerns, to help groups stay connected. If you need help setting up an account, let us know!
Facebook groups are a great tool to share resources, have discussions and collaborate. We currently have one in Kittitas County, https://www.facebook.com/groups/565325967363105/ — We encourage leaders and parents to join, ask questions, and share resources!
All Kittitas Clubs have access to a county-shared Kahoot Premium account now until the end of the school year. Leaders, teens, and staff can create fun quiz games for clubs to use via Zoom or independently by members. Login at https://create.kahoot.it/ — user name: Kittitas4H — password: 4Hrocks (Check out ideas for using Kahoot here and here). You can play games others have created! For example, select Discover on the top menu, then type “4-H” or “horse breeds” into the search bar to see numerous games pop up—we can use them as is or duplicate them to our shared account and adapt them.
For more resources, please take a look at our 4-H from Home page:
COUNCIL & COMMITTEE MEETINGS
As of May 19th, all council, committee, and panel meetings–now until our County is in Phase 4–will meet via video-conference and phone-conference.
OFFICE & STAFF ACCESS
As of March 16th, all WSU Extension Offices are closed to the public, and personnel are teleworking. We are available via phone, email, or by scheduled video-conference.
If you have questions about the status of an upcoming event please contact Andrea Morse, Extension Assistant (509-962-7507 or amorse@wsu.edu) or Brittany Briggs, 4-H Program Manager (509-388-2588 or brittany.briggs@wsu.edu).
If you have questions about our response to COVID-19 please contact Brittany Briggs, 4-H Program Manager (509-388-2588 or brittany.briggs@wsu.edu) or Alison White, 4-H Regional Specialist (509-707-8066 or alison.white@wsu.edu).
MORE INFORMATION
For information and prevention strategies, please visit the CDC and the DOH websites for additional information and individual prevention strategies.
We will continue to adapt our plans and programs as needed.
Pledging our health to better living,
Kittitas County 4-H