Advice WEBELOS for parents on choosing a Scout Troop

First of all, remember that the transition is for you and your Scout to choose -- the fact that I look for specific attributes in a  Scout Troop does not necessarily mean you should.

My guide is also somewhat geared toward the fact that we are in a metropolitan area of close to 150,000 people in a BSA District that has about 30 troops in two counties.  About 20 of the troops are within a 20 minute drive of our Pack's meeting place, and many of them are closer to our members homes than our chartering organization.  (Side note, there are two local troops chartered to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Because their Scouting program is slightly different and includes slightly different ages for joining, I chose not to list them.  If you're an LDS Scout, check with your local council and congregation for more details)

The following is a two-page handout that will be going to my younger son's 4th grade WEBELOS Den in about 3 weeks at our Blue and Gold Banquet.  We've already made one troop visit, and last weekend observed at the Council's Klondike Derby.  We had four specific troops we intended to observe, but the boys liked a patrol from a 5th troop, and we spent a large part of our morning with them.

A few things you should know about choosing a Scout Troop:

• Our WEBELOS Den is NOT required to all join the same Scout Troop.  Although often in the past, all of the New Scouts from Pack 38 have gone to the same troop; there is no requirement to do so.  It is well worth your time and effort to consider each troop we have visited (and potentially others, as well) before determining which troop is the best fit for you and your scout.
• Consider geography.  There are scout troops all over Springfield, and in Sherman, Riverton, Rochester, New Berlin and Pleasant Plains, plus three in Chatham.  Choose a troop a comfortable distance from your home, and be aware of which school district most of the troop members attend.
• Consider troop size.  Scout troops vary greatly in size.  Some units, like Troop 210 at Asbury/Jerome UMC, are very large.  Others are much smaller.   Larger troops typically have more resources and may provide more programs to their scouts.   Smaller troops generally provide more individual attention to each scout, and tend to provide more chances for individual achievement.
• Consider the troop calendar.   Scout troops have a great deal of individual freedom in how they run the basic BSA program.   All troops will offer a long-term camp during the summer.  Some may offer multiple chances to attend long-term camp.  Some may offer a “high adventure” camp in addition to (or in place of) the basic summer camp.  Many local troops have 12 or more camping trips in a year, but some have fewer.  (Troops can have as few as 4 in a given year.)  Most troops meet year-round instead of taking the summer off like Cub Scouts.  In some cases, missing lots of summer activities may slow your scout’s advancement.
• Consider program costs.  The minimum cost for a Scout in any troop is $36 a year ($24 for National Registration and $12 for Boy’s Life).   Some troops charge the minimum, and then any additional costs are passed on following a “per scout, per activity” basis.  You’ll pay for each troop activity as it happens, and only if you participate.   Other troops follow the model that Pack 38 uses and charge an annual fee that includes the majority of annual program costs.  In these troops, you’ll pay a single annual fee that includes some specific activities.  Some troops offer a blend of these.  Most have some fund-raising to offset some costs.
• Consider uniform and equipment costs.   Most, but not all, scout troops locally expect their members to wear the full uniform (uniform shirt, uniform pants or uniform shorts and uniform socks, uniform belt and hat).   You may wish to find out if the troop you are considering maintains a “uniform bank” where uniforms are donated when no longer needed.  Scouts may take uniforms for their own use from the uniform bank if they wish.  Many troops also have troop T-shirts.  You should find out if the troop you’re considering has one of these and what costs are involved.  (Some provide a shirt as part of the annual program costs).  Likewise, find out what camping equipment the troop expects each scout to have.  (Most expect you to have a backpack, sleeping bag, mess kit, flashlight, and rain gear.)
• Consider a troop’s discipline policy.  Boy Scouts are expected to be more mature than Cub Scouts.  Ask what rules of behavior a troop expects its members to follow.  Ask what a troop’s policy is for those times when a scout doesn’t follow the troop’s rules.
• Consider the tone and general feel of a troop.  Some troops are very formal, others more casual.  Some spend half of the meeting playing a game; others spend lots of time on instruction.  Some are quiet and others boisterous.   Some have different meeting plans for summer.
• Consider the leadership of the troop.   Boy Scout Troops are supposed to be run by the boys, with advice and counsel from the adults.  When visiting, look for evidence that the program is planned and run by the boys, rather than the adults.  Be aware that sometimes a boy-run troop can be a bit more chaotic than an adult run troop . . . but in the end, your scout will get more out of the boy-run troop.  Consider also the adult leadership, and their length of service/future plans.   Joining a troop whose Scoutmaster is marking time until his son earns his Eagle and quits next summer may result in a rude shock.  Look for a troop with several trained and committed leaders, who DON’T have 16 or 17 year old sons.
• Consider the training level of the troop.  It’s mandatory that the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters have completed BSA Youth Protection Training.  You should ask what level of additional training the adults have.  (In particular, look for adults wearing a “Trained” strip on their sleeve and for adults wearing a leather thong around their neck with wooden beads hanging from the thong).   Ask how many youth in the troop have been trained, and to what level.  Most troops provide some training in the troop.  Ask about ILST “Introduction to Leadership Skills – Troop,” the basic course available for troops to use to teach leadership.  Well run troops send one or more youth to “NYLE” the “National Youth Leadership Experience” which is offered annually by each council.  Exceptional troops will have sent an occasional member to NAYLE – the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience, offered at one of the BSA National Level camps.  These scouts serve on staff for the local training course.
• Consider quality.   There is no single metric for the quality of a troop’s program, but a close approximation is in their Journey to Excellence score.  Don’t be afraid to ask if they qualified for JTE last year, and at what level.   They should be able to tell you bronze, silver or gold for the last several years.  You could also consider asking how many Eagle scouts the troop has produced in the last several years, and when was the most recent.
• Consider the environment in which the troop meets and camps.  Do they have a clean, spacious, well-lit meeting area?   Is the troop’s equipment stored in a trailer, or a garage, or a storeroom in the building . . . or is it in the Scoutmaster’s garage or even sent home with various families?   Is the troop’s equipment in good shape?
• Consider tradition, family and friends.   It goes without saying . . . but if your scout’s father and grandfather were in a troop, you should consider joining that troop.  If your church or social organization sponsors a troop, you should consider joining that troop.  Troop 3, at Douglas Avenue UMC, is the oldest continuously active troop in the Abraham Lincoln Council (Founded in 1915, and in continuous service since 1942).   If your scout’s best friends joined a specific troop, you may consider joining that troop as well.

Once you’ve chosen a troop:

There are things you need to do once you’ve chosen a troop.

•          Inform your Den Leader. 
•         Inform that troop.  They should have an application and medical forms for your scout.  (Parts A and B you can fill out right away.  Part C must be completed by a doctor before summer camp.)  Probably, they will also have an adult application for you. 
• .       Confirm your new troop’s meeting time and location.   Find out what time is the earliest you can drop off, and the latest you can pick up.  You don’t want to wait 20 minutes in the car before someone arrives, or worse - arrive mid-meeting.  Likewise, if you’re the last to pick up your scout, two adults will have to wait with your scout until you arrive.
• .       Make sure you have an up-to-date Troop Calendar. 
• .       Get to know five people, right away.  The adults you should know are the Scoutmaster, the Assistant Scoutmaster running the New Scout program, and the Troop Committee Chair.  (These three adults will have all the information you need, and will be glad to listen to your questions and/or complaints.)   The other two you should know are older boys.  The Senior Patrol Leader is the boy who runs the troop.  You should know who he is.  (Look for a patch on his left sleeve with a silver-colored Boy Scout Symbol over three equal bars.)  The Troop Guide is the boy who will be working most closely with the new scouts.  (Look for a patch on his left sleeve with a bright red Boy Scout Symbol over three equal bars.)   Everyone else can wait . . .
• .       Confirm your new troop’s policy on uniforms, and any suggestions on camping equipment.  Some troops don’t expect new scouts to wear their uniform until they earn Tenderfoot rank, others will expect WEBELOS Crossing over to be in correct uniforms right away.   Some units will need you to have proper winter camping gear right away, others will expect very minimal camping gear, or may have gear to loan.
• .       Confirm summer camp dates, and dates for any deposits.  Confirm with the Pack any camp fees that they might forward to your new troop, and under what conditions.