Scouts learn alot, scouts DO alot and scouts have alot of fun. We've gotten alot of questions regarding our program and scouting in general. Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions we receive and the answers...
Q: How old does my child have to be to become a scout...?
A: Here are the general guidelines throughout scouting:
- Lion - Must be under the age of 7 and be in kindergarten
- Tiger - Must be under the age of 8, have completed kindergarten or be in the first grade, or be age 7.
- Cub Scout - Must have completed first grade but not completed third grade or be age 8 or 9.
- Webelos Scout - Must have completed third grade but not completed fifth grade or be age 10 but not yet 11 1/2.
Generally Speaking, Kindergarteners are Lions, 1st graders are Tigers and so on up to 5th grade.
Q: Do I have to take part with my scout?
A: Parents of lions and tigers are not required to fill out an adult registration application but are considered adult partners and are expected to be at all meetings and activities with their scout. As the scout gets older and progresses more emphasis is placed on the scout completing his or her achievements independently and parental support is still encouraged but not required.
Any parent who is considering becoming more involved, den leader, active committee member, etc... is required to fill out an adult application and take a short online Youth Protection Training which can be found at https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/. It will take you about 45 minutes and is free of charge. This must be done by ALL adults involved with the Pack and updated every two years. Simply print out the certificate at the end and present to pack leadership.
Q: What's the time commitment?
A: Pack meetings are held most Wednesday evenings (see schedule) at 6:30pm and last approximately till 8pm. Our program runs from September-June but we do try to schedule one fun activity a month during the summer. Individual den meetings can be scheduled by the individual den leaders, these can be any day that is convenient for the den members and leader. We try to schedule one Community Service Project and one Pack Outing per month. We do some overnight outings and Summer Camp is always an extended weekend in the summer. We use the schedule of the Lakeshore and Frontier School Districts, if school is on vacation that week or calls a snow day on a meeting day you can be relatively sure we're off as well. But check here to make sure.
We understand that not every scout will be able to attend every meeting and every outing, life happens. However just with anything else, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.
Q: How Much?
A: As of September 1st 2024, The annual registration fee for youth is $135 and for adult leaders is $115. This includes registration fees to national, our local council and insurance. We are asking that all new families register with BSA national at beascout.org. CLICK HERE to be brought to our unit page. From what we understand all new families will be billed directly from BSA National when their anniversary date come around. Existing families will also be billed directly from BSA National with Jan 1st as your scout's anniversary date.
Seeing as none of the registration fees come to our unit, we rely on fundraisers over the course of the year to pay for the program and to give the scouts opportunities to earn their way towards camp and other activities.
Adults are only required to register separately if they are active committee members or adult pack leaders or are attending overnight camp with their scout. ALL adults must take the Youth Protection Training however and this is provided free of charge.
Adults are only required to register separately if they are active committee members or adult pack leaders or are attending overnight camp with their scout. ALL adults must take the Youth Protection Training however and this is provided free of charge.
The initial investment of the uniform and book will run you approximately $120 and includes the uniform shirt, pants, belt, hat, neckerchief, slide and initial uniform patches as well as the scout handbook. These can all be purchased at the scout store at council headquarters in Cheektowaga. (http://www.wnyscouting.org/scout-shop/) The shirt, pants and belt will last until the scout outgrows them, the hat, neckerchief, slide and handbook change every year with rank.
Q: The most important question of all... Will I get to shoot a bow and arrow?
A: The answer is YES! As a pack we attend one of the many cub scout camps in the area during the summer. They are generally an extended weekend. You'll need that much time for all the activities available. 2025 looks to be between $325 and $400 for the scout for 4 days/3 nights and between $150 and $190 for each adult leader.
If you have any other questions please feel free to email us at wnypack591@gmail.com
