Frequently asked questions
The things families ask before they join. If yours is not here, email cubscout662@gmail.com and we will answer it and then add it.
Joining
Who can join Pack 662?
Any child in kindergarten through fifth grade. We are a family pack, so boys and girls are both welcome, and we currently have about seventy Scouts!
Can we join partway through the year?
Yes, and plenty of families do. Pack dues are prorated, so you pay for the share of the year that is left. Scouting America registration is a separate one-year membership that renews on the date you joined rather than in September.
Can we come to a meeting before we sign up?
Yes! Many families love visiting a Thursday meeting to see whether it fits your family before deciding to join. Email us first so we know to expect you and we can tell you which den your child would be in.
Meetings
What happens at a pack meeting?
All the dens come together as one group, we set the theme for the month ahead, and Scouts are recognised for what badges they have earned. Den meetings are only with your grade level groups, where your child works through adventures with the other kids in their grade to earn adventure loops and work toward their rank badge.
How often do you meet?
Most Thursday from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. during the school year. We aim to take into account all of the varying school calendars when planning the year.One Thursday a month is a full pack meeting where all the dens come together and we set the theme for the month; the rest are den meetings, still at Brick, though we head to Central Park when the weather works.
How much time does this take from parents?
We see Scouting as a family activity: a parent stays with their child at meetings rather than dropping off, and the program runs on parents volunteering. Thursdays are an hour. Campouts and events are the bigger commitments, and the yearly outline shows them well in advance. Scouting is an opportunity to participate in the growth of your cub!
Cost
What does it cost?
$145 to register your child with Scouting America and the council each year, which renews on the date you joined. We have our own pack dues, $120 a year, which run from September and are invoiced through Scoutbook once you register. This covers all of the materials we use to complete adventures as well as your pinewood derby car and rainguter regatta boat! Uniform and handbook are separate, we aim to reduce the cost impact of uniforms by hosting a uniform exchange. As kids grow out of uniforms, you can donate to it, and hopefully find a larger uniform from someone else. Campouts and some optional events have their own costs.
What if the cost is a problem for our family?
Email us, cost should never be the reason a child cannot join. The other side of that: families who can pay more than the dues are welcome to, and the difference sponsors another Scout.
Uniform
Do we have to buy a uniform?
Youth must have the uniform. We host a uniform exchange so that we can be thrifty and avoid everyone having to buy uniforms but cannot gaurentee we will have a full uniform for your child. Lions need the T-shirt, hat, neckerchief and belt, and no more than that, because they grow out of everything at that age. Tigers through Webelos wear the field uniform, and the base stays the same year to year with only the neckerchief, slide and hat changing. Arrow of Light Scouts switch to the tan uniform to get ready for the troop. Always check our uniform exchange before buying anything.
What happens when a uniform is outgrown?
Plese donate it to the pack's uniform exchange for another family, and you take whatever fits your Scout next! A Scout is thrifty. One practical note: sew patches on, by hand, machine, or at a dry cleaner. Badge Magic ruins uniforms and makes them useless to the next family.
Outdoors
Do Cub Scouts camp?
Yes. The whole pack camps twice a year at our council Cub Scout Activity days. Our Webelos and Arrow of Light dens camp twice more on top of that, which may include a summer camp and a joint campout with the Scouts BSA troop. Cub scout camping is family camping; at this age nobody is dropped off.
How does an outdoors program work in the city?
We use Central Park for den meetings when the weather allows, and the year includes park service days at Carl Schurz and Montefiore parks. We hike, play outdoor games, and even go fishing. All of this exists within the city. Overnight camping take us out of the city but are generally reachable by public transit, rental car or we've had people take hire-vehicles.
General
Is Scouting religious?
We do not lean or skew toward any specific religion, and Pack 662 is open to every belief system, including none. Families of all backgrounds are here and welcome. If you're asking this question, we encourage you to review Scouting Americas site directly. While not encouraging any one religious, Scouting America does encourage belief in a higher power, and weekly we use the term 'Duty to God' without defining any particular spiritual being.
How does the pack keep kids safe?
Every leader completes Scouting America's Safeguarding Youth Training(SYT) each year and passes a background check before taking a role. No adult is ever one-on-one with a child who is not their own. We ask every Akela to take the training too, free and online, so the whole pack is using the same language and holding leaders to the same protocol.