Troop #### Parent Handbook

Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low assembled 18 girls from Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912, for a local Girl Scout meeting. She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. Girl Scouts hiked, played basketball, went on camping trips, learned how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid. Within a few years, Daisy's dream for a girl-centered organization was realized. Today, Girl Scouts of the USA has a membership of over 3.2 million girls and adults, a significant growth from its modest beginnings nearly a century ago.

Girl Scout Mission & Leadership Experience

The Girl Scout Mission is a simple and powerful one: Building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

The heart of Girl Scouting falls under three main leadership principles.

Discover -- Girls play an active part in determining the what, when, where, how and why of their activities. At the Daisy and Brownie levels the girls will be presented with several options and they can make choices. With each year they grow and their ability to handle more responsibility will increase.

Connect -- Rather than listening to someone tell them what to do or how to do it, girls get in there and do it themselves. They explore their own questions, gain new skills, share ideas and take time to reflect.

Take Action -- Girls will work toward shared goals in an atmosphere of respect and collaboration.

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Girl Scout Grade Levels

The Girl Scout age levels are defined by grades. It is important to know your Girl Scout’s grade level so that you can be directed to the appropriate materials and uniforms.

Daisy Girl Scouts: Kindergarten – 1st Brownie Girl Scouts: Grades 2nd – 3rd

Junior Girl Scouts: Grades 4th – 5th Cadette Girl Scouts: Grades 6th – 8th Senior Girl Scouts: Grades 9th – 10th Ambassador Girl Scouts: Grades 11th – 12th

Girl Scout Uniform and Awards

Our troop requires the full Girl Scout uniform, which includes an apron/vest, flag patch, council strip, troop numbers, insignia tab, membership pin, and world association pin. We also request that you purchase the white level appropriate polo for your daughter to wear under her apron/vest. This year we will also be making troop t-shirts, which will double as a casual troop uniform. During the year, girls will earn various petals, patches, and awards to be displayed on their apron/vest. These will be given to girls twice a year at our Court of Awards Ceremonies.

Girl Scout PetalsPetals and pins are earned awards. They are officially approved by Girl Scouts USA. Petals are focused on the Girl Scout Law. Our activities will be directly correlated to connecting the meaning of each line within the Girl Scout Law, so girls will be able to incorporate these principles into their daily actions. All approved petals and pins will be displayed on the front of the uniform apron/vest.

Girl Scout Journeys and Summit PinJourneys are an important part of the Girl Scout experience. Every level has three journeys and if all three are completed within that level the girl will earn her Summit Pin, which will remain on her uniform for the rest of her time as a Girl Scout.

Girl Scout PatchesPatches are also called “fun patches” and are received by participating in an event or activity. They are not official and are not approved by the Girl Scout USA powers that be. Any business can create and issue their own fun patch and the girls display these on the back of their apron/vest. Fun patches are issued for all of the fun stuff that girls do. Even for something as simple as making s’mores! Some of our fun patches this year may include Ingathering, a police station tour, and cookie booths!

If your daughter chooses to complete a community service, a petal, or a journey outside of our meetings and events, please let the troop leader know (there may be an award or pin for that). Try not to work on awards that we will complete as a troop during our Girl Scout year. Any awards earned outside of our meetings and events must be paid for by the parent/guardian.

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Girl Scout Registration/Membership

Girl MembershipRegistration is $15 per child. Girls may attend a meeting to see if Girl Scouts (and/or our troops) are a good fit for them. However, they must register to be able to participate in meetings, events and fundraisers. Registration can be done online at GirlScoutsATL.org.

Adult MembershipNever been a Girl Scout? It’s not too late. Adults 18 years of age or older can join Girl Scouts to help out in their own daughter’s troop, serve as a mentor or even speak at a Girl Scout event. Membership is truly what you make of it! Pitch in your expertise or build a skill you’ve always wanted to develop. The cost is $15 per adult.

*Please note: Any council events that we attend will require all participants to be registered Girl Scouts – this includes adults. If you choose not to be a registered adult Girl Scout, you may not be able to chaperone or attend these events.

Adult Background CheckParents, guardians and girls trust that Girl Scouts is a safe place for them, and we do not take that trust lightly. We are committed to maintaining policies and procedures that create a safe environment for girls to discover, connect and take action. Criminal background checks are one of the strategies used to ensure that girls are safe with us.

Our policy is to conduct criminal background checks on all new volunteers, and to repeat them on all volunteers every three years. Volunteers include troop leaders, co-leaders and yes, even parents/guardians. If you will be attending any meetings, driving any Girl Scout (other than your own) to/from meetings or events, or chaperoning our field trips you must complete a criminal background check. This can be done online or on paper and is confidential. This is completed free of charge to you by Girl Scouts once you register.

Meetings & CommunicationOur troop meetings will be every other Tuesday, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Our meeting activities will start at 6:00 PM sharp to ensure program completion. We will host them at Insert Meeting Location Here Followed By Location Address (unless notified otherwise). Girls should wear their uniform white polo and apron/vest to every meeting and event (unless instructed otherwise).

Parent Meeting AttendancePer Girl Scouts of America, we are required to have two registered and background-checked adults at every meeting. This is traditionally the leader and co-leader; however, there is availability for parent helpers to sign-up to help at special meetings that may be more involved. During our meetings, parents are encouraged to take advantage of the alone time Go do some grocery shopping, fill up your gas tank, grab a cup of coffee with the other Girl Scout moms, take your other children to a park, or even read a book in your car. It’s your special hour to do with what you would like. Our meeting is covered by troop leaders so feel free to take a breather.

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CommunicationPlease pay close attention to our Troop Newsletters and our Shutterfly account at www.insertsitenamehere.shutterfly.com as it will always have the most up-to-date information about meetings and events. Our meeting newsletter will also have a copy of our calendar. Occasional texts/emails may be sent for time sensitive material. My primary method of communication is text. If you have any questions or concerns reach out and ask via text so I can address these items immediately. My number is ###-###-####.

SafetyGirl Scouts emphasize fun with safety. All activities will be assessed to make sure that they are safe and age appropriate. In the rare case that your Girl Scout should get hurt during an activity, a copy of an incident report will come home. If the accident would be severe enough to seek medical treatment, you will be notified immediately and more extensive paperwork will be filed. Our Girl Scout council will also be notified.

Food AllergiesOccasionally our petal earning activities will include some sort of food preparation or taste testing. All food allergies/restrictions will be considered and we will make this an environment where all girls can participate. Due to the timing of our meetings, we will not have snack. If you daughter must eat, please make sure she does so before the meeting.

FundraisersGirl Scouts have two major fundraisers each year: the fall product sale and cookie sale.

Fall Product SaleEvery year, registered Girl Scouts take orders from friends and family for delicious nuts, candies, photo keepsakes, and magazine subscriptions as part of the Treats and Keeps Product Sale. These items can be purchased online in addition to in person. This sale starts on Thursday, September 1st and will wrap up October 23rd. The prizes are fantastic for the kids and the troop keeps a minimum of 20% of all sales.

Cookie ProgramFor many people, Girl Scout cookies are an iconic product with a sentimental value that transcends many other food products. It reminds them of the days when they were Girl Scouts and when their sisters or daughters participated in the program. Girl Scouts dominate the cookie industry during the first quarter of each year, then completely disappear from it in March. Girl Scouts of the USA sells more than 200 million boxes each year. Cookies go on sale January 1 and wrap up in late February. Our troop earns $0.50 per box sold.

Does my Girl Scout have to participate in the Fundraisers?Participation in the Fall Product Sale or Cookie Program activity is voluntary; however, the money from these fundraisers are used to support every girl in our troop.

That means every single pencil, pen, marker, box of crayons, pair of scissors, bottle of glue, craft and activity has to be purchased – nothing is provided to our troop. Even the badges that your child wears on her uniform has to be purchased!

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We are supposed to be self-sufficient meaning that we should very rarely ask for parents to pay out of pocket for our field trips and activities. But in order to accomplish that, each child needs to participate in our fundraisers and really give it a good honest effort.

Along with earning money, girls are building a lifetime of skills and confidence. Our fundraisers are designed so she learns goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics – aspects essential to leadership, success and life.

Troop DuesOur troop requests dues in addition to the Girl Scout yearly membership fee. This year, our troop fee will be $25 and is to be collected within the first month of meetings. This will cover initial materials and some awards. As previously stated, the rest of our activities, patches, and trips come from money that we make on Fall Product and Cookies. We rely heavily on fundraisers and money donations so that we do not have to collect more money from parents for our field trips.

Volunteers are the Lifeblood of Girl Scouting

Our volunteers make a difference... in the lives of girls, in the success of families and in the growth of communities. The strength of Girl Scouting rests on the shoulders of adult volunteers who are committed to helping all girls develop into strong, confident, capable women.

Remember that your daughter’s troop leaders are volunteers. They spend a great deal of time attending trainings and preparing for and leading meetings. Please support your Girl Scout’s troop and encourage her participation in activities, to enable her to enjoy her Girl Scout experience.

Girl Scouts is a team effort among leaders, girls and parents. There are many ways you can help your Girl Scout’s troop throughout the year . . . just be on the lookout! Some examples include help lead troop activities, provide transportation, make phone calls … there is always something that can be done.

Reach out to the troop leader any time you have a question, comment or concern.

Troop Leader Name

(###) ###-####

Insert Email

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