How to handle too many girls for a Girl Scout troop?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This sounds bad but a lot of girls who signup will never actually join. A membership is $15. Dues for our troop were $50. Just the tunic and insignia patches and pins were $60. Cookie rally was $7. We have to drop off and pickup for events and meetings. This is a Title I school- those things are simply not going to be doable for a lot of those kids. So ultimately you will probably only end up with enough girls for 1-2 troops.

No... your memory is bad or you got ripped off. The prices for these things are the same everywhere. It is $35 if you get the vest/tunic. It's never going to be $60. If you get the sash it is even less. But, if you request financial assistance in this council (GSCNC), no proof of need is required and the uniform and books are FREE. Dues should be set based on the plans of the troop taking in mind the ability of the girls to pay. Last I heard, council will also cover $25 of troop dues (but that may have risen in the last year).

I didn't say just the tunic was $60. I got the tunic. But I also had to get four individual number patches for her troop number. An American flag patch. A GSCNC patch. A daisy pin and some other pin, and a yellow banner thing to hang on the tunic to pin those on. Then a package of magic sticker stuff that enables you to stick the patches on without sewing them. So okay, subtract $7 for that. My total was $62 for all that at Leesburg Hobby shop last week, so I'm not imagining things.

They are ripping you off. All the insignia AND the tunic should cost about $35 if you buy it from GSCNC direct or one of their stores. I'm not saying you are imagining things. I'm saying they are over charging you if you spent $60 on the uniform. I'm a former leader. I've priced these items and purchased them for 12+ girls. A full uniform with the required patches and such doesn't cost $60.

I just priced out everything I bought on girlscoutshop.com, Girl Scout official store site. Subtotal was $50 and shipping was $10.50. Total: $60.50 before tax. Were you a former leader in 2001?

you must be including some extras. When my dd started 5 yrs ago, it was in the $30-something range. When they bridged up 3 yrs ago, I bought all the new items for all the girls and it was still in the $30-something range. I'll take your word that the price you paid is right -- but I can only conclude that it includes some extras. In contrast, when my son started cub scouts it was $59 for the required shirt and patches and belt and hat (all required) and I was shocked that it was so much more than my dd had paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I had not looked at this thread for a few days and I'm grateful for all the advice! So the other moms who want to start a Daisy troop are now moving ahead without doing flyers. It's essentially going to be a club for their higher SES girls. I'm a little uncomfortable with that. Maybe no lower income girls would have joined, anyway, but it seems like they should have at least made the effort. On the other hand, it will keep the troop size down. Maybe its ok considering that they're starting the troop midway through the year.

I'm a higher SES mom, and this is not ok. This is not what the Girl Scouts is about. It's inclusive and I'm just sad and sorry this is happening. Keeping the troop size down by barring access to lower SES girls? Terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I just priced out everything I bought on girlscoutshop.com, Girl Scout official store site. Subtotal was $50 and shipping was $10.50. Total: $60.50 before tax. Were you a former leader in 2001?

Daisy tunic = $16.50
troop numbers $1.75 each
council Id $5.50
flag $2.25
membership pin $2.00
World Trefoil pin $2.50

Total $31.50

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I had not looked at this thread for a few days and I'm grateful for all the advice! So the other moms who want to start a Daisy troop are now moving ahead without doing flyers. It's essentially going to be a club for their higher SES girls. I'm a little uncomfortable with that. Maybe no lower income girls would have joined, anyway, but it seems like they should have at least made the effort. On the other hand, it will keep the troop size down. Maybe its ok considering that they're starting the troop midway through the year.

I'm a higher SES mom, and this is not ok. This is not what the Girl Scouts is about. It's inclusive and I'm just sad and sorry this is happening. Keeping the troop size down by barring access to lower SES girls? Terrible.

It depends - can they fill the troop with 12 right off the bat of people they know? Then they have no room for anybody else regardless of SES. If they have less then 12, they will be required by GS to open to the troop to any girl who wants to join (again regardless of SES). It is now all in the computer system, so it is visible for anyone looking for a troop to see. Personally, I would never start mid-year, unless they were all Ks. The 1st graders will be moving on to Brownies in less then 4 months. Doesn't give much time to learn/do much of anything.

[Anonymous]

Birds of a feather flock together -- even in GS. Our troop is half Catholic and half Lutheran. The Catholic moms stick together and the Lutheran moms stick together. The Lutheran moms have the higher SES, and the Catholic moms are all each others god parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Birds of a feather flock together -- even in GS. Our troop is half Catholic and half Lutheran. The Catholic moms stick together and the Lutheran moms stick together. The Lutheran moms have the higher SES, and the Catholic moms are all each others god parents.

Where the hell is this, Minnesota?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birds of a feather flock together -- even in GS. Our troop is half Catholic and half Lutheran. The Catholic moms stick together and the Lutheran moms stick together. The Lutheran moms have the higher SES, and the Catholic moms are all each others god parents.

Where the hell is this, Minnesota?

Alexandria, according to OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birds of a feather flock together -- even in GS. Our troop is half Catholic and half Lutheran. The Catholic moms stick together and the Lutheran moms stick together. The Lutheran moms have the higher SES, and the Catholic moms are all each others god parents.

Where the hell is this, Minnesota?

Alexandria, according to OP.

I am pretty sure that PP is not OP. I was asking where SHE is.

[Anonymous]

I am interested in getting my 6 year old in a troop within the Bethesda/Chevy Chase Rockville area, will go as far as Silver Spring. The site is very hard to navigate to find a troop that has openings for Daises.

Any recommendations I will greatly appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am interested in getting my 6 year old in a troop within the Bethesda/Chevy Chase Rockville area, will go as far as Silver Spring. The site is very hard to navigate to find a troop that has openings for Daises.

Any recommendations I will greatly appreciate it.

The site is horrible. Your best bet is to find out who is he GS coordinator for your school. Then talk to her about troops at your school. She will also know other coordinators at other schools in your Service Unit. Also as a leader I would not want to add another girl at this time of the year. We are in the home stretch for cookies and it would be unfair for a daisy to benefit from the money raised without her having helped raise the money. Plus our troop is at the cap. Your best bet would be to "Early Bird" her for next year. But if the troop is full, you have to start your own or find another one. We expect all of our Daisies to be Brownies next year. We may have 1 or 2 spaces.

[Anonymous]

6:34 - you could find out when your local council meets and go to one of the meetings. Ours includes about six local elementaries and a few older troops, and generally there's at least one troop leader from each school. You could stand up at the beginning or end of the meeting and ask someone to contact you if they know of openings.

At this point, I'd probably wait until planning starts for spring. If your child is in K, she could do an entire year with her own school's daisy troop. If she's in 1st, then she could just wait to start with Brownies. I don't think I'd want to throw a new girl into the mix of our troop this close to the end of the school year - with 16 girls, we already have enough admin to deal with.

[Anonymous]

11:18 - sorry, I meant when planning starts for the next school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I just priced out everything I bought on girlscoutshop.com, Girl Scout official store site. Subtotal was $50 and shipping was $10.50. Total: $60.50 before tax. Were you a former leader in 2001?

Daisy tunic = $16.50
troop numbers $1.75 each
council Id $5.50
flag $2.25
membership pin $2.00
World Trefoil pin $2.50

Total $31.50

You are missing the yellow tab to put the pins on and the set of Daisy Petals and Center. 49.50 total at the GS store - no tax, no shipping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I just priced out everything I bought on girlscoutshop.com, Girl Scout official store site. Subtotal was $50 and shipping was $10.50. Total: $60.50 before tax. Were you a former leader in 2001?

Daisy tunic = $16.50
troop numbers $1.75 each
council Id $5.50
flag $2.25
membership pin $2.00
World Trefoil pin $2.50

Total $31.50

You are missing the yellow tab to put the pins on and the set of Daisy Petals and Center. 49.50 total at the GS store - no tax, no shipping.

Also there are FOUR troop numbers at $1.75 apiece, she only factored in one, but I gave up arguing with her math awhile ago

[Anonymous]

There is one 3rd grade Brownie Group at my daughters school and they are not taking anyone else. She is just 1 girl and her best friend and other friends in her class are in the same troop. I explained why my daughter want to be with Lucy, she is very shy and being with a good friend would help her. But no they are not willing to make an exception. To top it off one of the girls in her class told my daughter she could not be in her troop. That made me mad ?, she had no right tell my child anything just because her mother is leader.