Frequently Asked Questions

Every year parents of new Girl Scouts have many questions about what to expect during their daughter’s first year in Girl Scouting.  We have taken the liberty to address the most common questions of new Scouting parents, which we hope will provide you with some insights into the upcoming year.

 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Now that I have registered my daughter, what happens next?

After registration is over, it will take us awhile to sort out the registration forms.  We will be working on assigning your daughters into individual troops and RECRUITING, orientating and training new leaders.  Typically, you should expect to get either an email/letter/phone call from your daughter’s new leader by mid to late October.

What can I do while I am waiting to hear from my daughter’s troop leader to get my daughter prepared for her first meeting?

While your daughter is waiting to hear from her new leader, we’d like you to help her earn her first Girl Scout patch!!!  Girl Scouts love patches and they earn them by learning and trying new things.  Attached to this newsletter you will find our “I am a New Girl Scout” patch program.  Please help your daughter complete at least 3 of the requirements!!!  We are hoping that this will get your daughter excited about her first meeting and provide her with a little bit of information about this great club that she just joined!! 

You may also purchase your daughter’s Girl Scout uniform… tunic (Daisies) or vest (Brownies).  These run about $15 a piece. You can find these uniforms locally at our Girl Scout council shop, Juliette’s Treasures, located at 6111 South Broadway in Lorain or at Holcombs in North Olmsted.  The uniforms can also be purchased on the internet at www.girlscoutserieshores.org  or even on eBay!  The vests and tunics come in different sizes so it might be best to purchase one locally to find your daughter’s correct size.  Please remember that your daughter will be wearing these uniforms for up to 2 years, so please buy them to accommodate growth.  Please know that financial assistance is available for those in need of help purchasing uniforms.  If assistance is needed, please email me at delaneycdel@aol and I will be happy to assist you.  Please only purchase your daughter’s tunic or vest…the patches and pins will be purchased by your daughter’s leader and will require a reimbursement from you at a later date.

You may also want to gather up a craft supply box for your daughter to bring to her meetings…nothing too fancy, just some crayons, markers, glue, a pair of scissors, a pen/pencil and something to carry it all in.

What can I expect during the year?

Typically, your daughter will meet with her troop twice a month for 1 to 1 ½ hours.  During meetings she will be earning try-its (Brownies) or Daisy petals.  She may also have meetings where her troop will just plays games, make crafts and learn songs.  She will probably participate in some community service projects and go on a few field trips.  Also, our Avon Service Unit sponsors special events during the year such as a mother/daughter event, a father/daughter dance, several fun physical events such as bowling and ice-skating, and an annual program called Thinking Day where Avon Girl Scouts gather to celebrate Girl Scouting around the world.  Additionally, many organizations, such as Playhouse Square, Disney on Ice, and the Cleveland Indians, to name a few, love Girl Scouts and host many events just for us during the year!

Last year, Daisies were given the opportunity to participate in cookie sales.  It was up to the leaders and parents to decide whether their troop wanted to participate.  This is something that your leader will discuss with you around December.  All other levels of scouting participate in cookie sales which begin at the end of December.

 What kind of expenses can I anticipate for the year?

Initially there will be a few up front expenses at the beginning of this year.  Your uniform expense will be roughly $30 and will include the tunic and/or vest and all patches and pins for the year.  Troops also typically collect “troop dues” that will cover all meeting related expenses and other incidentals that arise during the year.  These dues, which average about $30 a year, are either collected up front at the beginning of the year or are paid in installments throughout the year.  This can be decided by you and your troop leader.  Also, there may be some costs associated with field trips that your troop organizes.  Again, if you feel that you need financial assistance for any of these expenses, please contact me and I will be able to assist you.

 Will I be allowed to attend meetings with my daughter or volunteer to help the troop leaders by driving for field trips, helping with cookie sales, ect?

Yes, yes, yes!!!  Troops organize themselves in different ways. Typically, the leaders and the parents will decide what is going to work best for their troop.  Some troops have parents sign up to organize one or two meetings a year, some troops have parents take turns helping out during each of the meetings, or some leaders ask for parent involvement at their discretion. If you feel strongly about volunteering, you will not be turned away!!  On that note, one of our relatively new rules in Girl Scouting mandates that any parent who has a desire to volunteer must become a registered member of Girl Scouts. As a registered Girl Scout, you will be afforded any necessary insurance coverage while engaged in an official Girl Scout activity.  For those that are interested in volunteering, forms will be available to you at your daughter’s first meeting and must be completed before you will be allowed to participate in any Girl Scouting activity.

 I have considered volunteering to be a Girl Scout leader or a co-leader but am not sure if I have the time!

Please know that this is every leaders fear when they decide to take the plunge to be a leader.  Please let me ease your mind and let you know that being a leader is not that time consuming!  Initially there is about 2 hour training, based on your schedule, to orientate you on the ins and outs of leading a troop.  Over the course of the year, you will have to attend one 8 hour training session to complete your leader training…that’s it!!!  During the year, you will probably spend about 3 to 4 hours a month planning and organizing your troop-this 3 to 4 hours includes the time spent in your troop meetings. I can speak from experience that you will never regret volunteering your time as either a leader or a co-leader.  The memories that you will build with your daughter will be priceless.

I’ve requested that my daughter be placed in a certain troop-will my request be accommodated?

Our registrars do everything they can to accommodate requests however, sometime this just isn’t possible.  We take many things into consideration when forming new troops or placing new girls in existing troops.  We try to make the troop sizes as balanced as we can and we try to give priority to leaders to meet their needs/requests as to how many girls they will be able to accommodate during their meetings.

 Oh no!!!  My daughter is not in a troop with any of her friends-can I change troops?

Believe it or not, this is fabulous news!  One of the Girl Scout mottos is “Make New Friends”! This will be an opportunity for your daughter to develop some social independence and encourage her to meet and interact with new friends.  This is what Girl Scouting is all about!

We have a scheduling conflict with the day/time of the troop meetings!!!

As you can guess, this is a very common problem!  We know that Girl Scouting is not the only activity that your daughter is involved in.  Your daughter’s leaders will decide the day/time of the meetings and try to accommodate any special requests, but ultimately, they must pick a day/time that works best for their own schedule.  Keep in mind that meetings are typically twice a month and most leaders will keep the meeting day/time the same for as long as the troop remains intact.  If this is an issue that is of a major concern to you, please consider volunteering to be either a leader or a co-leader to afford you the opportunity to have the meetings based on your schedule.

What is the best patch glue/adhesive to buy to secure my daughter’s patches and badges on her uniform?

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT USE PATCH GLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Patch glue, no matter what type, does not work!!!  I know that you are going to be tempted to use it, but please don’t!!  I can’t tell you how many patches that I have seen over the last 6 years fall off uniforms.  Many of these patches are from special events and can’t be replaced.  If you’d like the patches to stay on forever, please sew them on.  It only takes a few minutes and will be worth it.  I have found that a “quilting needle” works best and is strong enough to push through any of the patches.  You will notice that many of the patches are “iron –on”.  Please sew these on as well.  The adhesive on the ‘iron-on” patches will wear away after a few washings.  If you’d like to have someone do the sewing for you, you can email Anna, one of our Senior Girl Scouts at Kammp@centurytel.net or Joanne Mills, one of our many volunteers, at 440-346-3759.   Both charge $.50 a patch.

I have noticed that other troops are more active than my daughter’s troop-can I change troops?

Believe it or not, this is one of our more popular questions.  Please keep in mind that all of our Girl Scout leaders do their best to not only instruct and guide their troops in Girl Scout traditions, but do their best to keep things fun and exciting for the girls.  The success of a troop depends not only on the leaders but on parent involvement as well.  If you come across something that you think your daughter might enjoy, please do not hesitate to contact your daughter’s troop leader and volunteer to schedule this activity/field trip for the troop!  It will be much appreciated!!!