UI Extension recruiting for expanded 4-H AmeriCorps program

University of Idaho Extension 4‑H Youth Development is recruiting members for what should be the largest cohort yet of an AmeriCorps program devoted to building children’s skills, with an emphasis on experiential STEAM learning.

AmeriCorps, established in 1993, is a network of national service programs supported by the federal government, foundations, corporations and other donors, engaging adults in public service to meet critical community needs.

Launched in 2019, University of Idaho Extension 4‑H AmeriCorps program seeks to empower Idaho youth through hands-on programming, especially in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).

“The 4‑H director realized we were having issues recruiting knowledgeable volunteers able to support communities by teaching STEAM education,” said Natasha Tienhaara, 4‑H AmeriCorps program coordinator. “We recognized the need and AmeriCorps came up as a possible way to fill that.”

Most of the AmeriCorps members directly serve 4‑H, meeting needs such as teaching STEAM curriculum in schools, aiding in after-school programs and staffing 4‑H camps and day camps. Some members also directly serve partnering host sites involved in educating Idaho youth, such as the Idaho Out-of-School Network and the Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise.

The UI Extension program began a new grant cycle Sept. 1, receiving $597,000 from AmeriCorps plus $248,000 in matching funds from host site fees and contributions from counties, school districts and other partners. U of I has the budget to grow the 2025-26 program to 53 full-time equivalent positions, a modest increase from the previous grant year. The first cohort of five full-time and eight part-time members, who signed a contract to work between 900 and 1,700 hours over 11 months, began their terms Sept. 15. The program is recruiting to fill eight more positions through January, along with 31 members who will start in May.

Members — who can serve up to four terms — represent a wide range of ages, from recent college graduates to retirees.

AmeriCorps members receive a living allowance, along with a Segal Education Award of up to $7,395 for full-time service, which can be used toward student loans or future college expenses. The National Service Trust will also cover any interest incurred on members’ federal student loans while they serve. Members over 55 years old may give their educational award to a child or grandchild. Host sites are asked to pay $5.50 per hour toward the stipend of each AmeriCorps member they receive — a good value considering the total investment per member equates to $18 per hour.

Overcoming funding cuts

University of Idaho Extension 4‑H AmeriCorps program faced an uncertain future just a few months ago.

In late April, the federal Department of Government Efficiency cut 200 AmeriCorps programs nationwide, including Idaho programs operated by Serve Idaho: The Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism.

As a result, 19 Idaho AmeriCorps members working under the 4‑H umbrella received notice that their positions had been eliminated. Those programs were restored July 15 after a group of affected states — excluding Idaho — prevailed in a lawsuit.

UI Extension program was revived too late for displaced members to return and complete their service terms, though they were granted a portion of the living allowance they would have received from the remainder of their service. However, the program’s mid-summer reinstatement gave staff the opportunity to finalize paperwork and prepare for the current grant year.

The program’s short-lived cancelation also affected 42 applicants who had been accepted as quarter-time, summer 4‑H AmeriCorps members.

Extension Director Barbara Petty, however, came up with a backup plan to accommodate most of the group. She used previously allocated Extension internship funding and district office revenue to create a summer internship and retain the small 4‑H AmeriCorps staff. Extension employed 30 summer interns, while host sites brought on four more.

As interns, participants weren’t eligible for some AmeriCorps perks, such as educational funds.

While the creation of a summer internship made the most of a difficult situation, the temporary AmeriCorps hiatus still had ripple effects across the state.

Two Boundary County schools scrambled to find their own funding to retain their shared AmeriCorps member through the end of the school year.

4‑H Extension educator Sendy Martinez, Ada County, had applied for two summer AmeriCorps members. After learning of the program’s termination, she had to cancel planned summer day camps with Boise Parks and Recreation and other partners. Though the summer internship program created by Extension was helpful to Martinez in other ways, it came too late to save the day camps.

“We were only able to do a one-day 4‑H camp,” Martinez said.

Refusing to quit

Julia Sanderson, of Boise, decided her work was too important to abandon when she received notice last spring that her position as an AmeriCorps member had been terminated.

Sanderson was tasked with overseeing the Boise School District’s Green Team, which leads sustainability initiatives for employees across 52 schools. She founded the Green Thumbs Lunch Club at Grace Jordan Elementary, where small groups of students gather during lunch to learn about gardening and public service in a fun, field-based setting.

She chose to continue as an unpaid volunteer — at least until the school district came up with funding for a small stipend. That summer she maintained 11 school gardens. She resumed the lunch club at the beginning of the school year. In her first session back, the club’s third graders picked flowers for their teachers from the school’s garden, as well as cherry tomatoes for the school’s food pantry. She taught them about saving garden seeds and they painted messages on clam shells for food pantry recipients.

On Sept. 15, Sanderson resumed her role serving Boise schools as an AmeriCorps member, after being accepted for a second full-time term. She has big plans for the Green Team, including establishing school supply recycling stations.

“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing,” said Sanderson, a former first-grade teacher. “It’s really cool that AmeriCorps members can support programs that really need it.”

A passion for teaching

Paul Verhage, of Wilder, retired as a math and science teacher in 2022, but he quickly realized he wasn’t ready to give up teaching.

Verhage found the ideal situation through UI Extension 4‑H AmeriCorps program. Now entering his third full-time AmeriCorps term, he works with elementary students in the Treasure Valley and supports the Think Make Create Program — a collaborative initiative that uses mobile makerspace trailers to deliver STEAM education, licensed for use by 4‑H and the Idaho Out-of-School Network. He appreciates that he’s not responsible for maintaining discipline or grading papers.

“I get to do the fun stuff with teaching,” Verhage said. “It’s using my expertise and my background.”

Verhage created lesson plans for several STEAM activities for local elementary and middle-school students. Through 4‑H, he can access supplies and equipment most schools don’t have, including Lego robotics kits.

“In comes Mr. Paul with boxes of Legos, and their eyes light up,” he said.

Another one of his favorite lessons involves making an amber liquid from boiling red cabbage and adding household chemicals to change both the color and the pH.

Verhage also aids in after-school programs, 4‑H programming and local activities for local Boys & Girls Clubs.

A big impact

Based on the training, professional development and experience AmeriCorps members receive, they often go on to accept full-time jobs with Extension and program partners, where they continue to educate and inspire youth.

Extension currently employs five former AmeriCorps workers — Taryn Packer, a nutrition instructor with the Eat Smart Idaho program in Caldwell; and Extension educators Madison Sotin, Benewah County; Cheyanne Mast, Bear Lake County; Katie Scheer, Jerome County; and Rilee Wilson, Ada County.

During the 2023-24 grant year, 4‑H AmeriCorps programming reached more than 13,000 Idaho youth.

“If we didn’t have that, 13,000 youth don’t receive STEAM education activities,” Idaho's 4‑H AmeriCorps program coordinator Tienhaara said.

Even during the shortened 2024-25 grant year, 4‑H AmeriCorps engaged 9,623 youth throughout the state. 4‑H AmeriCorps members will provide a combined 40,950 hours of service to Idaho youth during the 2025-26 grant year.

“We take the 4‑H principles of positive youth development, teach them to our members and our members go out into the community,” Tienhaara said. “What this allows us to do is increase the impact of 4‑H across the state.”