cub scouts won't let my 1st grader join!

[xanandali]

I'm crying right now so if this is written poorly please excuse me. Just got a call that my brilliant and kind 5 year old first grader won't be allowed to join Cub Scouts of America SOLELY because he's homeschooled. Talked with corp. and local. If he were 5 and in public school he can do it, but since he's homeschooled he must be 7 years old. But they have no written policy for this neither online, in the guidebook, or even written at the office! Online/Application states they must have completed kindergarten or be in first grade or 8 years old. Not even sure where they are getting the number seven from. Most public school kids are 6 when they go into first grade and they would be allowed in, but not my son because he's homeschooled.

I'm disappointed and furious. Most of all I'm sad because we've already gotten our son his uniform & taken pictures, told him he's going to camp next weekend, started making his race car, etc. Not sure we want to be part of an organization who doesn't want us, but really feel like this might be worth fighting. Thoughts, ideas, past experiences?

[kinzee]

I have no advice or suggestions but that is just ridiculous! What a bunch of bunk. Are there any other organizations around your area he could join that offer the same benefits of scouts?

[pageta]

Our son is in cub scouts, and he is homeschooled and six years old. I would appeal up the ladder. He is in school, he is the correct age to be in first grade, there is no reason why they shouldn't accept him.

Mostly, remind them of the disappointment he is going to experience at this point due to their decision. If they don't have any heart in this situation, they shouldn't be running an organization like this.

[xanandali]

After the local council called to tell me not to bring him to tonights meeting I called the main number for the national organization and was told its strictly because he's homeschooled. If he were in a public school there's no age restrictions other than they must be under 8. Its only when they are homeschooled that there is a minimum according to the headquarters guy responsible for membership...

[Handsomesmomma]

That is a bunch of garbage!
My son was 6 when he joined. Now it maybe that he cannot join because he is five not because he is home schooled. You should clarify that with them because I know our den is now working on getting a five year old section started. They normally begin at 6 yo. I don't think that man gave you a very good answer. Is there another den in your area you can check out? I would not want to be part of that if it were the real reason. We now have three home school families in our den I don't stand alone anymore.

hth a bit!

Ann-Marie

[shoefairy3]

yea, i thought they had to be 6 to join, but I could be mistaken

[valsblondies]

My son is in a homeschool cub scout den- there are at least 50 homeschoolers doing scouts in our pack and they are all in the den according to their grade at homeschool. These rules sound ridiculous!

[Fujiko]

This is insane! What kind of reasoning do they have for this rule? It seems pretty discriminatory to me.

[amyx4]

Scouts it organzied by school grade. If he doesn't make your school district's cutoff for first grade than he cannot start scouts. For example, if all incoming first graders for the 09-10 school year must be 6 yrs. old by Aug. 31st then he would not be eligable. When will he be six and what is your school district's cuttoff for entering first grade?

[crystallane]

My son is 6 and homeschooled and started cub scouts last night.

[xanandali]

I think thats what it will come down to and given that it would be next year. But it is in fact the local council AND the national office that have said the rule is different for homeschooled kids.

What I think REALLY is the thing, and I agree, is that Cub scouts is based on grade and Boy scouts is by age. So if he starts Cub at a younger age, there will be a gap when he isn't able to be in either one. Its very much the same issue we had at VBS this summer, they had some of the pre-k classes by age and the elementary kids by grade and not by age- hence some kids would qualify for two classes or wouldn't fit either!

I'm moving on with it, I was just in a fit earlier because at the end of the day while they may be right about the decision they make, its because of the fact that they actually do have (nationally) a policy that is different for HS'd kids. My suspicion is that those kids mentioned here that ARE in it already are accepted because it wasn't an issue locally and they do fit with age criteria. Though technically they tell me its not allowed.

Very happy to hear so many are not having issues with their 6 year olds in it. That means hopefully next year things will go better (if not trust me you'll hear about it!)

Originally Posted by amyx4

Scouts it organzied by school grade. If he doesn't make your school district's cutoff for first grade than he cannot start scouts. For example, if all incoming first graders for the 09-10 school year must be 6 yrs. old by Aug. 31st then he would not be eligable. When will he be six and what is your school district's cuttoff for entering first grade?

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by amyx4

Scouts it organzied by school grade. If he doesn't make your school district's cutoff for first grade than he cannot start scouts. For example, if all incoming first graders for the 09-10 school year must be 6 yrs. old by Aug. 31st then he would not be eligable. When will he be six and what is your school district's cuttoff for entering first grade?

I think this answer makes the most sense.

I also have a six year old homeschooled Tiger Cub, but since he's officially registered through the school district as part of an independent study program, we haven't had any problems.

[umsami]

Here they have to be seven and in first grade to join. So, DS1 will turn six in about a month, but he can't join until he's in 1st grade next year. They don't care (at least here) about homeschooling vs. bricks and mortar.

That's also what the national website says,
http://scouting.org/FAQ/Parent.aspx

Cub Scouting is for boys in the first through fifth grades, or 7 to 10 years of age. Boys who are older than 10, or who have completed the fifth grade, can no longer join Cub Scouting, but they may be eligible to join the Boy Scouting or Venturing program.

My guess is because your DS is two years younger than the typical Cub Scout, it could be an issue. As bricks and mortar schools usually have birthday cut-offs, one is unlikely to find somebody two years younger than the rest of their classmates.... especially in the younger grades. While your son may be academically a first grader, do you really think he can hold his own socially, physically with kids two years older than him? Might be a better experience for all if you wait.

[sarathan]

Originally Posted by umsami

Here they have to be seven and in first grade to join. So, DS1 will turn six in about a month, but he can't join until he's in 1st grade next year. They don't care (at least here) about homeschooling vs. bricks and mortar.

That's how it is here too....they must be at least 7 and in first grade regardless of whether they are homeschooled or not.

[mommy13]

Originally Posted by crystallane

My son is 6 and homeschooled and started cub scouts last night.

Us as well.

[zeldamomma]

I think it's good for kids to be with age-mates for scouts. I've seen a younger child really struggle in a scout troop after being allowed to join early. Scouting activities tend to emphasize things like fine and gross motor skills where bright kids are often more in line with age-mates than their accelerated grade level.

It stinks that you didn't find out until after you bought the uniform and told your son-- you'd think they would have handled it better than that.

[Lillian J]

I wholeheartedly agree with the comments that it's best to be with same age peers when in scouts. I put together a little den out in my area when my son was around 8, and it would have been awful if he'd been younger than the rest. There's already the challenge of being part of a group where so many of them know each other well from school, and the even bigger challenge of meetings coming right at the end of a long school day from which the others may be tired and very wired. My son had the idea that it was going to be like the pictures in the book - with fully engaged and polite little boys gathered around to do group activities they were all enthused about - but it was nothing like that in our group. It was so difficult for me that other moms finally got disgusted with my frequent phone calls about the rowdiness and started taking turns in their own homes. They quickly realized I hadn't been exaggerating at all (I came in one day to find one ordinarily very soft spoken shouting "STOP IT! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!"), and then a dad took it over. Even with help from at least one mom at each of his meetings, he still had a lot of trouble keeping them calmed down enough to have a focused fun time. I'm not saying it's that way everywhere and in every den, but the more you can do to keep things on an even keel, the better. Lillian

[eilonwy]

How weird! My son is a homeschooled six-year-old second grader, and when I signed him up for Cub Scouts they told me initially that he'd have to be a Wolf Cub rather than a Tiger. I'd wanted to enroll him as a Tiger because a) he's younger and b) he's very petite for his age, to say nothing of kids in his grade. The council told me it would be up to the Pack & Den leaders, and when I talked to them they were understanding... so he'll be a second-grade Tiger Cub this year. The rules (national) say that a boy must be EITHER seven years old OR have completed kindergarten. I think that if you can demonstrate that your son has, in fact, completed kindergarten then they have to let him in.

[elanorh]

Meanwhile, if there is a 4-H program where you are, there is very likely a "Cloverbuds" program too - it's co-ed, and coordinated by the 4-H Office.

Ina will be joining Cloverbuds this year. Here, it's a monthly meeting where they do fun crafty things and activities which are 'preparatory' for 4-H projects (photography projects, or early sewing, or etc.).

Not the same as Scouts, but still fun! And I know they don't care at all where/how a kid is schooled; it's strictly age-based. I think you just have to be five here, but most kids don't start 'til they've started K that school year; so Ina will be six this fall but it's her first year of Cloverbuds. Cloverbuds are kids who are 5-8 years of age.

[momo7]

Originally Posted by xanandali

I'm crying right now so if this is written poorly please excuse me. Just got a call that my brilliant and kind 5 year old first grader won't be allowed to join Cub Scouts of America SOLELY because he's homeschooled. Talked with corp. and local. If he were 5 and in public school he can do it, but since he's homeschooled he must be 7 years old. But they have no written policy for this neither online, in the guidebook, or even written at the office! Online/Application states they must have completed kindergarten or be in first grade or 8 years old. Not even sure where they are getting the number seven from. Most public school kids are 6 when they go into first grade and they would be allowed in, but not my son because he's homeschooled.

I'm disappointed and furious. Most of all I'm sad because we've already gotten our son his uniform & taken pictures, told him he's going to camp next weekend, started making his race car, etc. Not sure we want to be part of an organization who doesn't want us, but really feel like this might be worth fighting. Thoughts, ideas, past experiences?

WHAT???!!!! That's not true. Who told you that? That's total baloney. (not you...it's them)

I have two sons in the Boy Scouts of America. Both are homeschooled and one of them is 5. Find a different troop, maybe one that is attached to your church or parish....it doesn't have to be attached to a public school. Just look around for another place to put them.