Established in 1992, 4-H CAPITAL began as a 5 year USDA grant and later was adopted by Travis County in 1997, the program received its first AmeriCorps grant in 2003; since then, AmeriCorps funding has continuously renewed annually. 4-H CAPITAL is a Travis County AgriLife Extension Program, a joint educational entity of the Travis County HHS/VS and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension services. With the support of the AmeriCorps volunteers we have strived to “Make the Best Better” and “Get Things Done” in afterschool programming throughout Title I schools in the Austin and Del Valle Independent School Districts.
In the years that we have been in service, we have provided countless interactions and science programming in the Travis County Area. Currently, we are at AISD schools and inspire youth to develop into inquiring scientists, citizens of character, partners in service and engage community members through our project-based learning experiences. Our 4-H Science Clubs are shifting area of focus from 4 curriculum areas to an Urban Farm curriculum that combines our previous 4 areas and teaches how they all connect. These lessons are designed to increase Science Capital, School Engagement, and Education Aspiration.