Starting August of 2024, new Girl Scout Daisy (K-1) troop leaders will receive a monthly supply box filled with step-by-step instructions, ready-to-go supplies, and thoughtful script suggestions.
For example, if you have a troop of 12 Daisies, you will need: Two approved (background checked), registered, trained, unrelated adult volunteers (at least one of whom is female) at each troop meeting. Please note that anyone who volunteers with the troop must be registered and background checked.
Adult-Girl Ratio Chart:
Troop leaders track a variety of troop-related information. Work as a team to develop an organizational method that works for your troop. You will be tracking receipts, bank statements, Health Records, Parent Permission Forms, program materials, meeting plans, and other important documents. Be sure to keep all personal and confidential information secure.
Are you a “paper person”?
Assemble a binder to keep track of receipts, health and permission forms, notes, plans, and other important troop documents. Clear plastic sleeves and folders are very helpful!
Are you a “digital person”?
If you prefer to keep everything digital, feel free to utilize the digital organizational tools you are comfortable with (Gmail, Google calendar/docs/forms, a private Facebook or Instagram group, etc.).
Whether you prefer to organize your records on paper or digitally, each troop should create a year plan in the Volunteer Toolkit. You can create your own year plan by adding badges and/or journeys individually or choose from one of the pre-selected tracks curated for you by GSUSA.
Two of your must-have tools, gsLearn and the Volunteer Toolkit, are accessible when you log in to MyGS.
Here are a few more helpful links:
There really is no limit to what Girl Scouts can accomplish! Here are some of the main ways that girls build their Girl Scout experience:
Most troops meet once a week or twice a month, while some troops meet monthly. Daisy troops tend to have shorter meetings, generally 45 minutes to an hour, while troops of older girls often meet for longer. The important thing is not how often or how long the troop meets, but how well the meetings work for the troop.
Girl Scouts is girl-led, which means girls of every age take an active and age-appropriate role in figuring out the what, where, when, why, and how of all the exciting troop activities they’ll do. Girl-led happens over time, starting with small steps that build upon each other in progression.
Remember that projects don’t have to come out “perfectly” (whatever that means!) and girls don’t have to fill their vests and sashes with badges. What matters most is the fun and learning that happens as girls make experiences their own. Lay the foundation together, and then step back and let your girls take the lead.
Get a birds eye view of the year to help you plan your activities with our Your Year in Girl Scouts Handout.
Here are some simple tools that will help you in supporting your girls to take the lead:
Create a troop kaper chart. Kaper charts are a great way to get all the girls involved in running the troop (it is their troop, after all!). Girls can learn new skills and even get to know each other better. Try pairing up girls who may not already spend much time together. Rotate the girls and assignments frequently to keep the pairs and kapers fresh.
The Bull’s Eye Planning chart is a useful tool for finding out what the girls want to do and involving them in planning troop activities. You can have girls put their ideas on sticky notes or record them on a large sheet of paper.
The Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay council serves the Delmarva Peninsula. The council is divided into 26 service units, each of which are managed by individual Service Teams.
