It can be a little overwhelming for parents new to Scouting so we’ve built this page to put all the most important information in one place.  If you still have questions, just contact any of the leadership and we’ll be glad to help.

Cub Scouting Parents’ Quick Start Guide

1. Youth Application – Join now online, or your committee chair can provide you a hardcopy application.  Just fill it out and give it back to the committee chair.
2. Dues and Boy’s Life Subscription – Yearly dues are $150 per youth.  A subscription to Boy’s Life is optional and costs $12. Provide a check payable to “BSA – Pack 340” to the Treasurer, or pay via Paypal.
3. Contact Information – Provide the best phone number and email address by which to contact you when submitting your dues payment to the Treasurer.  There’s a form to make this simple.
4. Email List Subscriptions – There are a number of email distribution lists used by the Pack to communicate with its members.  Join the Pack and your associated Den email lists.
5. Subscribe to Calendars – Use the Calendar menu item at the top of this page to see what’s going on. You can filter by Pack and Den.
6. SCOUTBOOK – Once your application is processed, you will receive a SCOUTBOOK account to track your scout’s experience and instructions will be emailed to you.
7. Buy Uniform – You can purchase what you need online at www.scoutstuff.org or support your local Scouting shop or from others in the pack, on eBay, Craigslist, Goodwill, etc.  You’ll need the following:
   • Uniform shirt – Get it large enough so that your Scout can wear it throughout Elementary School!
     • Lions – Tshirts
     • Tigers-Bear – Cub Scout blue shirts
     • Webelos – option of Cub Scout blue or Scouting green/tan
   • Pants or Shorts (optional).  If you buy pants you may want the kind that convert to shorts.
   • Belt
   • Council shoulder patch
   • Den number – Contact your Den Leader for this information
   • Pack number – Your child will be in Pack 340
   • World crest
   • Neckerchief
   • Neckerchief slide
   • Hat
   • Den Book (Tiger for 1st grade, Wolf for 2nd grade, Bear for 3rd grade, Webelos for 4th and 5th grade)
8. Introduce Yourself – Reach out to your Den leader (If there is one already) and your Cubmaster.  Find out when your Den meetings will be.  Contact us.
9. Attend Pack Meetings – They are on the last Thursday of the Month in the Guadalupe Cafeteria at 7:00pm.  Look for details in the Calendar.
10. Attend Den Meetings – You Den leader will send announcements to the Den email list.  You can also contact your Den leader for details.
11. Volunteer – The more a Scout’s parent gets involved, the more fun the Scout has and they more they get out of it.  Contact any of the committee members to volunteer.

Contacts

There are a variety of options for making contact.

• Email the Pack 340 committee members or various distribution lists using the addresses listed on our Contact us page.
• Call your Cubmaster, Aaron Brady at 415-690-8117
• Call your Committee Chair, Chris McGugan at 650-740-8255

Your Child, Scouting, and You

Scouting…An Aid To Parents

As a parent, you want your child to grow up to be person of worth, a self-reliant, dependable and caring individual.  Scouting has these same goals in mind for them.  Since 1910 we’ve been weaving lifetime values into fun and educational activities designed to assist parents in strengthening character, good citizenship, and physical fitness in youth.

Scouting is family values!  At the same time Cub Scout-age children don’t join Scouting just to get their character built.  Children join because it is fun.

Scouting Is Fun With A Purpose!!!

With all of the negative influences in today’s society, Scouting is there to provide your child with a positive peer group and a program that is fun and adventurous and helps them to “BE PREPARED” to shape their own future.

The Cub Scout Program

First Grade

Tiger Cubs is a one-year program for 1st grade children.  Each child participates with an adult (preferably a parent) in family-oriented activities ranging from family camping to preparing for emergencies.

The time you and your child spend in Tiger Cubs is meant to be fun, a chance to get to know one another better, and do things with your family as well as members of your Tiger Cub Den.

2nd Through 5th Grade

Cub Scout Motto:  “Do Your Best”

Cub Scouting is a home and neighborhood centered program designed to support family life for children K through 5th grades.

Each Cub Scout learns to respect their home, country, God, and other people.  The program also helps children this age to:

• Learn new physical skills through sports, crafts, and woodworking.
• Learn how to get along with others through games and team activities.
• Develop new mental skills such as writing and calculating.
• Develop personal independence.

In a society where your child is often taught that winning is everything, Cub Scouting teaches them to “Do Your Best” and be helpful to others as expressed in the Cub Scout Motto and Promise.

A Cub Scout den can provide your child with a group their own age where they can earn status and recognition.  There the will also gain a sense of personal achievement for the new skills they learns.

Your Child is a Member of a Den

a. Often, a Den has four to ten children.

b. Meets regularly once a month at the leaders convenience.

c. Led by a Den Leader (usually a parent).

d. A Den Leader is often assisted by an Assistant Den Leader, a Den Chief (an older Scout) and a Denner (a Cub Scout elected by den members).

e. Den Meetings have games, crafts, stunts and ceremonies.

Your Child is a Member of a Pack

a. Made up of one or more Dens.

b. Meets once a month–all Cub families are expected to participate.

c. A Pack Meeting is led by the Cubmaster.

d. Pack Meetings are the climax of the month’s Den Meetings and activities.

e. Pack Meetings have games, skits, stunts, songs, ceremonies, and presentation of badges that cubs earned that month.

The Pack Is Run By A Pack Committee

a. Made up of Den Leaders, Pack Leaders and all parents.

b. Meets once a month.

c. Led by a Committee Chair.

d. Committee plans Den and Pack Meetings around the monthly theme.

e. Committee selects leadership, finds meeting places, performs record keeping, manages Pack finances, orders badges, maintains Pack equipment, helps train leaders, and recognizes leaders.

Pack Is Sponsored By The Chartered Organization

a. Chartered Organizations include schools and parent-teacher organizations interested in youth. Our Chartered Organization is the Guadalupe Elementary Home and School Club.

b. The Chartered Organization approves leadership, secures a meeting place, keeps Pack within sponsor’s and Scout guidelines and policies.

c. The Chartered Organization selects a representative from the organization to be the liaison between the Pack and the Organization.

The Advancement Plan

The responsibility of a child’s advancement in Cub Scouting lies with the family and not with the Pack.  Some advancement requirements are done at Den Meetings, but most are done at home with the family.

Bobcat.  All children, regardless of age, earn the Bobcat Badge first.  This is achieved by learning the Cub Scout Promise, Law of the Pack, handshake, salute, sign, motto, and meaning of “WEBELOS”.  After receiving the Bobcat Badge, the children work on requirements based on their grade level.

Tiger Cubs. First-grade children join a Tiger Cub den, where each works with an adult partner on the requirements to earn their Tiger Cub badge.

Wolf Cub Scouts. Second-grade children graduate into a Wolf den. They go to weekly den meetings on their own, but their families still help them work on the requirements for the Wolf badge.

Bear Cub Scouts. Children in the third grade are members of a Bear den. They also work with their families to do the requirements for the Bear badge, but children this old have enough knowledge and skill to take on more of the work by themselves.  For every ten electives a Bear cub completes, he earns an Arrow Point.  A Bear may earn as many Arrow Points as he desires.

Webelos Scouts. Children in the fourth and fifth grades become Webelos Scouts. Webelos Scouts do more advanced activities to get ready to graduate into Scouting.  They work on requirements for the Webelos Badge, 20 Activity Badges, and the Arrow of Light Award (the highest award in Cub Scout­ing).  Camping and outdoor programs are an important part of the 19-month Webelos pro­gram.  In March of a Webelos Scout’s 5th grade year, he graduates from Cub Scout­ing into the adventures of Scouting at an impressive graduation ceremony.  Every child deserves an opportunity to be a Scout!

Websites

Boy Scouts of America – The BSA organization runs a number of programs, one of which is the Cub Scouts program for youths in grades 1st through 5th.  Their website has lots of valuable generalized information about Cub Scouts and is a great resource for Scouts, parents, leaders, and volunteers.

Pack 340 – That’s where you are now.  It’s our own special place on the web packed with information about the our Pack.  You’ll find a calendar of activities, pages with details about upcoming events, contact information, and more.

SCOUTBOOK – This site is a tool used by the Pack to track Scout advancement progress.  To use the site, you will need to establish an account first.