SCOUTING PROGRAMS
The Scouting experience is divided into five programs according to age and activities. Discover what programs are available to your scouts by selecting their age:
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Cub Scouting
Youth Grade Levels K–5th
What is the Cub Scouts Program?
Cub Scouts is for boys and girls, kindergarten to 5th grade. It is a program where youth develop the foundations for leadership, citizenship, and personal fitness through fun activities involving parents and legal guardians. Ideally dens are organized by grade.
What Will I Do in Cub Scouts?
Cub Scouting activities are designed for Scouting families to get in on the fun, and include exploring the outdoors, building projects, making friends, and developing a lifelong love of learning as Cub Scouts earn patches related to their grades.
How Often Do Cub Scouts Meet?
Cub Scouts meet twice a month or once a week depending on what times are convenient for families involved in the program.
Who Runs Cub Scouts?
Parents and legal guardians of Cub Scouts work together to run the Cub Scout program. Cub Scouting offers excellent support for parents and legal guardians to deliver the program as a team through national online training and resources to local in-person coaching and mentoring.
Why Join Cub Scouts?
Cub Scouting encourages family fun while providing youth with a safe space to make friends and challenge themselves through age-appropriate activities. It is a program where children and parents feel like they belong to an organization that consistently reinforces worthwhile values like honesty, good conduct, and respect for others.
Scouts BSA
Youth Ages 11–17
What is the Scouts BSA Program?
The traditional Scouting program, Scouts BSA is where youth develop outdoor survival skills, self-confidence, and ethics through youth planned activities with increased attention to service, community engagement, and leadership.
What Will I Do in Scouts BSA?
Scouts BSA is where youth explore their interests and develop skills by participating in outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and canoeing. Scouts earn merit badges along the journey and work towards achieving Scouting’s highest rank—Eagle Scout.
How Often Does Scouts BSA Meet?
Scouts typically meet once a week. Troops may hold special activities, like service projects or outdoor experiences, in place of or in addition to one of the weekly meetings.
Who Runs Scouts BSA?
Elected youth lead their troop and run the meetings at the guidance of the Scoutmaster and other adult leaders. Unlike Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA is a youth program planned mainly by the Scouts, not the parents.
Why Should I Join Scouts BSA?
Scouts BSA prepares youth to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Throughout their time in Scouting, Scouts learn the value of hard work and experience the thrill of seeing it pay off.