Everything parents ask

Cub Scouting is the kindergarten through 5th grade program of Scouting America. Kids meet in small groups by grade, work through age appropriate adventures in a handbook, earn ranks, and get outdoors. The whole thing is built to be done with a parent alongside, not instead of one.

Yes. Pack 3049 is a family pack and girls and boys are both full members, in the same dens, earning the same ranks.

That describes about half the pack on the first night. Dens are small, leaders are parents, and kids sort themselves out fast. Come try a meeting before you decide anything.

Yes, any time. Registration is prorated by Scouting America, and your Scout's den leader will help catch up on adventures. Plenty of our best Scouts started in January.

A den meeting is about an hour, two or three Mondays a month. Add a monthly pack meeting and a handful of bigger events across the year: a hike, the derby, the camp-in, Blue and Gold, and summer camp if you want it. Families take what they can and skip what they cannot.

For Lions, yes. Every kindergarten Scout has an adult partner at every meeting. For older dens a parent does not have to be in the room every week, but Cub Scouting works best when you are around, and Scouting America requires at least two registered adult leaders at every activity.

No. But the pack only runs because parents step up, and there is a job at every size: den leader, treasurer, derby crew, popcorn help, or just driving to a hike. Ask what needs doing and we will find something that fits your life.

$100 per Scout, per year to register with Pack 3049, with discounts for families with more than one Scout and for registered adult leaders. That is under $3 a week for a full year of Scouting. Most of it goes straight back out to Scouting America and the council, so the pack actually runs registration at a loss. Awards, badges, activities, and the banquet are all paid for by the popcorn sale. Full breakdown on the join page.

No. Popcorn is how most families cover their year without writing a check, and a Scout who reaches the pack goal is paid up. A Scout who sells $1,600 also earns free summer camp at CCLT, and every Scout gets 4 percent of their own sales back as an Amazon gift card. Families who would rather not sell can take the buyout or do the calendar fundraiser instead. See the popcorn page.

Then we help, quietly. Financial assistance exists at both the pack and council level and no child has ever been turned away from Pack 3049 over money. Talk to a leader.

The Class A uniform shirt, the neckerchief and slide for your Scout's rank, and the handbook. That is it to start. Pants, hats, and belts are optional. Ask before you buy: the pack usually has used shirts and neckerchiefs to hand down.

The Anthony Wayne Scout Shop, 8315 W. Jefferson Boulevard in Fort Wayne, (260) 432-9593. Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Bring your Scout so the shirt gets fitted, and tell them you are with Pack 3049 in the Pokagon District so the patches are right.

No. Nothing before summer camp, and even then the pack has tents and tarps to lend. Do not go buy a setup for a first campout.

A den is your Scout's grade level group, usually six to twelve kids, and that is where the actual work of Scouting happens. A pack meeting is every den plus every family together once a month for awards, skits, and a theme. Louder, shorter, more fun.

The BAND app first, then the pack Facebook group. Den leaders post reminders in BAND, and that is where a snow cancellation will show up.

Every registered adult completes Youth Protection Training and passes a background check, and it is renewed regularly. Two registered adults are required at every activity, one on one contact between an adult and a Scout is prohibited, and adults staying overnight complete additional Safeguarding Youth training. If something ever concerns you, tell a leader immediately.

Arrow of Light Scouts cross over into a Scouts BSA troop, which is the program for 11 to 17 year olds. It is a bigger, more independent version of everything they have been doing. We work with local troops and help every family find the right fit before crossover.