The Cubmaster and Committee of our Packs have put this material together to give the parents of our boys a sense of our expectations and a clear understanding of the way they run our Packs. We follow the rules and policies of the Boy Scouts of America. The Committee may change the policies contained in this document from time to time to respond to BSA changes and to take advantage of new opportunities for the Pack.

Pack Policy is set by the Pack Committee consisting of the Chairperson, Treasurer, Secretary, Advancement, Training, Public Relations, Outings, Membership and Registration, and Friends of Scouting members. The Cubmaster, Assistant Cubmaster and Den Leaders of our Pack work closely with the Pack Committee to ensure that we deliver a quality program to our Scouts. A “Leaders Meeting” is held monthly with the time and location listed on the pack calendar. During these meetings, pack concerns, issues and upcoming events are discussed. Ideas are shared and plans are made for future pack meetings and pack activities. These meetings are open to any parent in the pack. Den Leaders who cannot attend the meetings should designate a parent to represent the den at the meeting.

Parent Participation is expected. Scouting is designed to provide a structured way for families to spend time together. Many requirements for various badges call on the boy and his family to do things as a group. Scouting is not an activity where the boy can be dropped off at meetings with no further participation from parents. Our adult leaders are all unpaid volunteers who can use help running meetings and planning activities. The ultimate success of this pack rests on the involvement of parents.

Advancement encourages participation from the boys. Boys like to advance in rank. They are proud of their accomplishments, badges and pins. Some requirements will be completed during den meetings, but a vast majority of Wolf and Bear requirements should be done with the boy and his family. Parents are expected to see that the boys do indeed fulfill the requirements. “Do Your Best,” the Cub Scout's motto is a good guideline. Some boys are not physically or otherwise capable of meeting every requirement. If the parents feel that the boy has made the appropriate effort, if he has done his best, the will suffice for meeting the requirement. For Webelos scouts, only den leaders can sign off requirements since most requirements are done during den meetings or field trips.

Once a boy has finished a particular requirement, parents should initial or sign off on that portion of the boy's book. The den leader will note the accomplishment on a chart or other record, and will order the badge, pin or other recognition when they have earned it. Badges are generally awarded at the next pack meeting. The Advancement Chairperson needs several days to fill out the paperwork, obtain the badges and prepare award cards. For that reason, Den leaders should request badges no later than 2 weeks before a pack meeting.

Uniforms are an important part of the program. Boys and leaders are expected to wear uniforms to pack meetings, den meetings and any activity they undertake as a Cub Scout. A uniform consists of an official shirt (short or long sleeve), a neckerchief, a neckerchief slide and any badges a boy has earned. Cub Scout hats are also available but are not required and Cub Scout pants are available but most boys wear jeans since they are growing by leaps and bounds at this age. Uniforms can be purchased at several scouting stores in the area including Clinton Canoe & Kayak Co.(Hi-Tech Hobbies), Flemington One Stop Shop, Mars Store of Chester and Dave's Men's and Boy's Shop (Manville). Please see your Den leader if you would like more detail on the specific requirements.

Pack Meetings take place once a month during the school year. At least one parent or guardian must come with each boy. Boys and parents will learn more about Cub Scouting and how to take part in our program and the many exciting adventures in Scouting at these meetings. You will also have a chance to meet other people in the scouting community and see your son advancing in rank and having fun with you. Siblings are welcome at pack meetings but we ask that they, as well as parents, adhere to our rules of conduct during these meetings. These rules are included with this packet.

Dens are run by Den Leaders with help from parents. Two adults are required at each meeting one of which must have completed BAS training {Two Deep Leadership Policy, BSA}. A meeting can not be held if only one adult is present. All leaders must attend the Cub Scout Leaders training program offered by council. Dens generally meet weekly or biweekly with no den meetings during the week of Pack meetings or school vacations. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend den meetings to assist Den leaders, but siblings should be left at home.

The boys are placed in dens based on age and/or grade at the beginning of each scouting year. Parents can make requests for specific dens, but the decisions on who goes where also takes into account the needs of the den leaders, the time of the meeting and the number of boys. We consider 5-8 boys, an ideal number for a Cub Scout den, Tiger Cub groups are made up of 5-8 boys and their adult partners. From time to time some dens are larger or smaller based on the den's specific needs. Boys generally stay with the same den for their entire time in the pack. While we will attempt to fill all reasonable requests for placement the final decision rests with the Pack Committee.

Behavior Expectations: Our adult volunteers try to have den or pack meetings that keep boys busy and happy. Boys should come to meetings with respect for their leaders, their fellow Cub Scouts, and the place where the meetings or activity is taking place. Boys who take part in Scouting activities, without these three forms of respect, cause problems for themselves, other boys and our volunteer leaders.

If bad behavior occurs, it will be dealt with in the following fashion: First the den leader will talk to the boy and his parents and try various strategies to create a change. Second, if this does not work, a den leader can require a boy's parent to stay with him during den and pack meetings taking responsibility for the boy's behavior. If this does not solve the problem, a boy who consistently disrupts den or pack meetings will be dismissed from the pack by the committee after a full review of the problems and solutions tried. This has never happened since most boys really enjoy Scouting and don't want to miss out on the fun. Usually a gentle reminder or some parent participation is all that is needed.

Finances: The National Scout Office requires registration fees. For the current Scouting year, the registration fee for our Packs will be $49.00 per boy and $40.00 for each additional Scout in the same family. (Includes only one subscription to Boys Life per family.) The pack will conduct at least one major fund raising event during the year: The fall popcorn sale. The Pack receives a portion of the total sales; the rest goes to Central New Jersey Council to support council activities. Since we currently spend close to $100 per Cub Scout during the Scouting Year it is critical that every Scout participate in this fundraiser. We do understand that for various reasons some of our Scouts are not able or willing to participate in this fundraising activity. Depending on our needs we may ask that these Scouts make an additional donation directly to our pack to help offset our costs and help reduce the likely hood that we will need to have additional fund raising activities during the year.

Once a year the Pack takes part in the “Friends of Scouting” campaign. This money goes to support our Scouting Council. Our Packs do not receive any money from this campaign directly but it does support various Council sponsored activities that we are able to take advantage of such as Cub Scout Day Camp and our two Scout Reservations (KMSR and YCSR) that we soon should be able to use for both Pack Camping and Family Camping events.

On the Pack level, funds are spent on badges and pins, pack activities, leader training and items necessary for running the Pack. Funds may also be spent to help defray the cost of Pack excursions, overnight trips and guest speaker fees. There are no den dues. Part of the registration money is given to each den to help buy supplies for that den (i.e. Crafts).

Scholarships: No boy should miss out on Cub Scouting due to a lack of funds. Parents may request scholarships for Pack fees, uniform expenses etc. by contacting the Pack Committee Chairman or Cubmaster. All inquiries and awards are kept confidential.

Pack meeting Flyers: These provide the parents and Scouts with not only the activities for the evening of the Pack meeting but also all the reminders and notices regarding upcoming events. It's your gateway to current information about our Pack and are distributed at the first Pack Meeting of the new Scouting Year.