What is Cub Scouts?

• How old (or young) can a boy or girl be to join Cub Scouting?

Cub Scouting is for boys and girls in the Kindergarten through fifth grades or 5 to 10 years of age. Youth who are older than 10 or who have completed the fifth grade, can no longer join Cub Scouting, but they may be eligible to join the Scouting BSA or Venturing program.

• I wanted my child to get into Scouting BSA. Is this the same group?

Cub Scouting or Cub Scouts is part of Boy Scouts of America, whose programming is geared towards boys and girls in elementary school. Cub Scouting was formed in 1930 as part of the Boy Scout program due to an overwhelming demand for younger boys to be a part of the Scouting movement. In 2018, girls were admitted into the program to further make Cub Scouting a family-focused organization.

• I have a daughter in elementary school. Can she join Cub Scouts?

Yes! Cub Scouts is a family-based program.

• How can I become an adult volunteer in Cub Scouting?

Express your interest to the pack leaders, the Cub master, or members of the unit committee. There is no guarantee that a specific role or position will be available and there may be a selection process among several candidates. However, even if no positions are currently vacant, there is usually some way in which you can contribute and our leaders appreciate all help they can get.

• Must I be a U.S. citizen to join Cub Scouting?

Citizenship is not required of youth or adult members. If you live outside the United States and are not a U.S. citizen, it may be more beneficial to join the Scouting Association in your country of origin. The World Organization of the Scout Movement provides contact information for all national Scouting organizations on its Web site at www.scout.org

• How often do the scouts meet?

Up to Four times a month usually, three den meetings and one pack meeting may be scheduled.  There are also special monthly events depending on the time of year where we come together for service projects, outings, and special events.  We typically schedule family campouts two times a year and everyone in your family is welcome to attend!

• My child has a medical consideration, learning disability, physical or emotionally challenged, etc. Can they still be in Cub Scouts?

Definitely, yes! Our Cub Scout program welcomes everyone. The Cub Scout program is adaptable to many special needs, and there are program and training materials to help Cub Scout leaders adapt the program to the situation. There are also programs to teach the scouts to understand those that may be a little different from what they are. However, it is important that the Pack and Den leadership be made aware of these cases so that we can deal with any problems or situations that may arise. Please be sure to note any special needs or conditions we need to know about. You should also plan to stay at all of the meetings, which is required for all parents of Cub Scouts in all age groups.

• How early can I drop my child off before the meeting? What if I am busy and cannot pick them up exactly when the meeting ends?

Scouting is a family program. For safety reasons, you are expected to stay at the meeting with your scout and help them out if you can in any way possible.  This helps to ensure den and Pack meetings run smoothly. Pack meetings are for the whole family and we encourage you to participate regularly.

• What about spring break and other holidays? Do you still have Cub Scout meetings?

Typically, we follow the Round Rock ISD school schedule. If schools are closed for the day due to holidays or weather, we will not schedule meetings or events.  Notifications are sent via email, posted to Pack and Den calendars on Scoutbook.com, and pushed out through Slack channel messaging.

• When does my Scout get to go camping?

As in past years, the rules have been changed to allow Cub Scouts to camp as a pack. We are working on developing a larger camping program. In the past few years, our overnight sleepovers have occurred at our local Scout Camp Ranches as well as other areas. If you enjoy camping out, get involved and help us out in getting a camping trip organized. The Scouts would love it; we just need a few parents who have some experience to make it a success. “Family camping” is allowed for youth in first through third grades at Boy Scout of America approved or “Council run” camps. Webelos may go camping as a den, but each Scout must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If it is impossible for a parent or guardian to accompany the Webelos scout, guardianship may be transferred in writing to another parent that is going on the camping trip. This parent, by Boy Scouts of America policy, may not be the den or pack leader responsible for the camping trip.

Second-year Webelos are also allowed to go camping with a Scouts BSA troop. This is part of the Arrow of Light requirements. When accompanying Scouts BSA, they are still required to have a parent present on the camping trip.

• How much is all this going to cost me?

The annual registration dues are $350.00 (proration adjustments may apply) and may be completely paid for through planned fundraising events such as the BSA Trail’s End Popcorn fundraiser.  Your fees include your registration with the Boy Scouts of America and The Capital Area Council to enroll your child in Cub Scouts, and insurance for all official Scouting events.  Rank advancements and awards and some den and pack-related resources are also covered.  Car kits for our Annual Pinewood Derby and a Class "B" Pack t-shirt are included in your fee as well.  Scouts will need a Class “A” uniform, which will need to be purchased separately.

• Are the uniforms expensive? Do they have to get the whole uniform, or can he just get a shirt or a hat?

Scout uniforms are spelled out in Boy Scouts of America guidelines as one of the means of achieving the goals of Scouting and setting the minimum expectation that all youth are to be uniformed from the waist up.  Parents will need only to purchase the hat, shirt, scarf, belt, and neckerchief slide.  You can pick up whatever you would need online at scoutshop.org or visit our local scout store. If you do not know what you need, you need to know your Scout’s den level (Tiger, Wolf, etc.), Den Number or Patrol, and Pack number. Then if you talk to an employee at a Scout Shop, they will help you with everything.

We expect all the scouts to be in uniform at meetings and on Pack trips, as we proudly travel as a group. However, we will not deny the Cub Scout program to anyone because of financial difficulties. If there is a true financial need, speak to someone in the pack leadership and we will do what we can. Everything will be kept confidential.

While on the subject of uniforms, we realize that many youths take part in a number of sporting and other after-school activities. Sometimes it is not possible to get home between, say, soccer and the Scout meeting. If this is the case, please try to arrange for your cub to bring their uniform and change into the restroom once they arrive for the meeting. This is especially true for Pack meetings.

• Where do you get the Cub Scout leaders?

The leadership of this Cub Scout Pack is made up of volunteer parents (like YOU!) who want to be involved in their child’s growth and formative years. We are not paid to do this. We think enough of our youth and their friends that we want to provide the best possible opportunity for them to become upstanding citizens of their community. Each Den should have two leaders as well as a rotating parent assistant. Without den leadership, we cannot form new dens.

• I would not have the faintest idea of how to be a den leader. What would I do? Where would I start?

Help books, leader manuals, and training sessions are available to help YOU step into the role of den leader as quickly as possible. It is not really that hard, and with all the cooperation of the other parents, stress-free! There are monthly Roundtable meetings where leaders gather to share ideas. For more information about Roundtables, speak to the Cub master for details. Attendance at these is optional, but are very informative and interesting. One or two people cannot do it all, so lend a helping hand.  Your cub is there any way to offer any talents you may have?  All you have to do is just say, “Hey…How can I Help?”

• What are these Pack Trips all about?

Well, simply put the scouts and their families get to do things outside of our weekly meetings. We may have a Pack campout or a trip to the splash pad when it is hot. We could march in a parade or maybe build a fun float to ride on, with the help of a parent with a utility trailer. We are limited only by our imagination, but whatever we do… the one central theme is …IT WILL BE FUN!

• Is my child required to be at all the den and pack meetings?

Of course! When you join a group, your fellow scouts begin to count on you being there. If you miss meetings, you miss opportunities to advance along with others. Unless you are ill, we would hope for you to be at all your scout meetings. While at those meetings, proper behavior is expected. For example, no running or ball playing indoors will be tolerated, except in designated areas and times such as a gymnasium during a game. Scouts are expected to pay attention to their den leaders while they are instructing. Respect is taught in Scouting.

• I have more questions that are not answered here. To whom should I talk?

You can speak to any uniformed leader or email us a ScoutPack652.org.