This is for parents of new scouts or those thinking of joining scouts.
Meetings
Our meetings take place at St. Joseph's School and Church grounds every Friday.
Den meetings usually start at 7pm and are held in the school. (Time varys depending on the Den, some meet later.) Meetings last anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on the Den and what activity they have planned.
Pack meetings are one Friday a month in the Holy Family Hall aka school basement and start at 7:00pm. It usually lasts about an hour.
Structure
Each Cub Scout Unit is called a Pack. The Pack is divided into Dens which are organized by grade/age level. The adult leader of the pack is the Cubmaster and each den has a Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader. The Pack has a committee of adults that help plan and organize that are lead by the Committee Chairman.
Our local "office" is the
Housatonic Council. Our council covers the Valley area. (Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, Oxford, Seymour)
Dens
Dens are broken up according to age/grade level.
Tigers = 1st Grade
Wolves = 2nd Grade
Bears = 3rd Grade
Webelos I = 4th Grade
Webelos II = 5th Grade
So if your son recognizes classmates from his class in school, he most likely will be in the same den.
Each Den has a number (1-5). They keep that number all the way through Cub Scouts.
Handbook
There are always a lot of questions about what you need to get. When first starting off, there is really only one item you must purchase and that is a handbook. In Cub Scouts each grade level has a different book, so don't get one until you've talked with your Den leader and he or she has informed you of the proper book to get. They are always changing, so if you had a son in scouts a couple years ago, there's a good chance that book is outdated already.
Uniforms
The next big purchase is the uniform. Once your Cub has come to a few meetings and decides it's something he want's to do, getting in uniform becomes a priority. We encourage you to get the full uniform. Hat, shirt, belt, pants, socks and all the appropriate patches. Our Pack has a uniform exchange, so if your son hits a growth spurt, before you run out and buy another uniform, check the uniform exchange box that is at every Pack meeting. Marc Couture, one of our Den leaders is in charge of it, so if you want to look through them before hand at a Den meeting or just want to inquire about availability, you can contact him.
When purchasing a uniform at the scout store, the people there will help you get all the appropriate patches. The three things you will need to tell them is what Den level you're at, (Tiger, Wolf, etc.) what Den number you are (ask your den leader) and that you are in the Housatonic Council. The rest is standard.
Where to get all the "stuff"
We have a swap box that contains gently used garments so a good place to start is there. We also accept uniforms that your boy has outgrown.
Our
council's store is very small and doesn't carry uniforms, but you can get your handbook there and council-specific patches.
Yankee Council has a bigger
scout store in Milford where you can go and try on uniforms. They are very helpful there; just say you need a Cub Scout uniform and they will outfit you with all the items you need.
Right Fit
Now your son may want to be a Cub Scout, but our meetings may be at an inconvenient time, or his buddies may not be in our Pack or whatever. Each Pack is different, so if Pack 19 is not the right fit for you, there are others in the area.
Here is the list on the Housatonic Council's Web site.
For more information on Scouting, see our links page for links to BSA, Housatonic Council and more.