If they are offering the course only during the day you are correct. Our class is offered at 5:30 pm and we have a very diverse group from about 25 to 70. Classes during the day time only discriminate against people who work. However, if the need is primarily for volunteers who can work in the office 9 to 5 you can understand why this might be done.

Class hours, and days, and whether or not the sessions are day or evening, are determined according to a number of things.

Some counties do a combo of day and eve.
Others might do Saturdays.
Some only eve.
Still others only day.
And hereabouts, we run the classes 3 days a week because we have such a large area, also so many MGs to train each year, that 3 different training sites are required to do so!

The choice of day and time all depends upon a number of factors, among them these:
-- the number of persons available to teach at the selected time slot;
-- the time and days a sufficiently sized room, along with adequate parking, is available;
-- the amount of energy the teachers/instructors -- who typically have a full-time job elsewhere -- have;
-- the cost for the space, and equipment.
-- and lots more reasons.

In our county, we offer a summer class for school teachers. It has been quite popular and the teachers carry their acquired knowledge into the classroom.

LOL LOL You got me !!!! HAD to check out what you had to say when I saw the title!!
Our MG organization does only offer daytime classes, hopefully only for now. But there are several good reasons for that.
We are a young and small (about 40 members)organization, only since 2001 and don't have the MG people power yet to hold classes at an additional time.
Plus, most of our lecturers are professors from Texas A&M and scheduling them to teach is a task now. Their availibility is a major factor in when are classes are scheduled.
Hopefully down the line we will have more resources to offer classes in the evening or on weekends.
We may be a small group, but we are dedicated and growing!!

I had the same problems here, I was all gung-ho to start the program and was very disappointed that it was 9-5. As a stay at home mom, it would not work for me either.

The only way to do it would be if you were retired, not working, or have a free summer. In my area, it is not a very diverse group, mainly young people fresh out of college (that took the course in summer between courses or after graduation in their last free summer--who use it for their resume), people that have retired and have some free time to share, or people who do not work and want to volunteer instead.

Wheither discrimination is intentional or not, the time you hold classes will exclude some people and be more convienient for others.

Working interfers with gardening and should be stopped. Unfortunately when you are young and strong and able to really grow a garden you are expected to WORK also. If we could only receive our retirement income when young and best able to work in the garden. Because we have not solved this problem too many of our classes are filled with old fogeys no longer in shape to dig or prune tall trees. Al

Al, LOL. I have an image of a couple of old fogeys with walkers and a shovel.

Calistoga, I had the same idea years ago but no one would listen to me. Steve

Also caters to stay-at-home moms(class was over by noon before the kids get out of school), college-age students, and
people who work at night. We had a very interesting and diverse group of young, middle-aged, and old fogeys who had nothing better to do during the day.

I feel lucky they offered the class in my county in the evenings. I work a 10 hour a day job. The next day I was tired but it was worth it to me. The county just north of me offers a summer class durning the day and then a fall class at nite. That seems to cover alot more people so if you work days you have a class to join but also if you work evenings you have a class to join. I hope your commity can come up with something like this to help you out.

Yo, ...bill..., if you don't care enough to get the time off work, how much can you want in to our exclusive group. ha ha just kidding. seriously, though, if they were hurting for members, they'd maybe do something like my area where the classes alternate between days one year and evenings the next. And, hey, did you stop to think maybe they want people with lots of time on their hands and retirees and homemakers are the biggest such contingent? BTW, I'm jess havin' a little fun, if you're feeling offended or anything... lighten up :)

I've been wondering this for a while -

If you aren't able to attend classes in the daytime, how would you be able to participate in the volunteer activities which take place in the daytime 90% of the time? And if you work long hours, have a family, etc., how could you have the time to do any activity on weekends, either?

One of the threads mentioned the high MG attrition rate because they didn't realize that it was so time-consuming and they were busy, etc.. Weren't they told that at their interview?

The key to this problem is that if you work long hours durning the day. Time managment is the key factor I have found for my master gardening. I work 10+ hours a day and I have family. You learn to manage your time wisely if you truely want to do the volenteer activitys. My husband is very saportive and that helps me alot. If theres something out of town we may plan a weekend at the location so I can attend whats going on. My 2 adult children and there familys know I am very into this. They think its great. I do take my 2 grandchildren everyother weekend so its all time management for me. If something is going on the weekend I have grandchildren I rearange there time with us so they dont miss out. I have been doing alot of time management this summer so I can do what I want. I have became a Master Gardener within 6 months of finishing my class time. I am working toward the Advanced and hope to finish it within my first year after taking the class. Its a goal I am sure I can get to as long as I keep on my time management. Time mangagement is the key!!!

I agree with Blueheron! Most of the MG volunteer activities are during the day. I took the course when I was a stay-at-home mother. Now I work full time,volunteer for weekend clinics as much as possible(which isn't very often. The whole point of the MG program is to educate the public so they can share with others. If you can't volunteer your time to help others, then they don't want you. In fact,I feel guilty if I don't share my knowledge. I owe it to the program so I've started working in community gardens and other things to pay back the system!