Girl Scout troops should be large enough so girls can work in a cooperative environment and small enough so each girl can learn to stand on her own – a tricky balance.

GSUSA recommends 10 to 12 girls for the Daisy, Brownie, Junior, and Cadette levels.  For the Senior and Ambassador levels, troops should have at least 5 girls.

In addition, girls thrive when the troop members come from more than one school.   When girls get the chance to interact with girls who aren’t aware of “playground drama” or embarrassing things from the classroom, it helps them put those issues behind them and move on.

How big should YOUR troop be? No larger than you feel comfortable leading. Larger troops often break into smaller groups to rotate through activities during meetings, smaller troops often join with another troop for larger outings. You get to decide what YOU are capable of handling.

Here is the Adult-to-Girl ratio chart from the 2017 Volunteer Essentials guide. This guide shows the minimum number of registered and background checked adults you need at each meeting as well as on outings or at events.

Here are a couple of examples:

Your Daisy troop has 14 girls. How many adults do you need at a meeting? The first column shows that you need two adults for the first 12 girls. The second column shows you need one more adult for every six additional girls. With 14 Daisies, you need 3 adults at a meeting.

Your Junior troop has 20 girls. How many adults to you need on a camp out? The third column shows you need two adults for the first 16 girls. The last column shows you need one more adult for every 8 additional girls on the camp out. With 20 Juniors, you need 3 adults on the camp out.

In addition to the adult to girl ratios, please remember that all adult volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must be registered as an Adult Girl Scout volunteer. At least one volunteer must be First Aid and CPR trained if you do anything beyond regular troop meetings.

Some situations will also require at least one of the adult volunteers to have specialized training. Check with the most recent Safety Activity Checkpoints.

The Annual Permission Form gives a girl permission to travel to, attend, and participate in activities that are:

• Within 60 miles (about 1 hour’s drive) of your regular meeting place
• Are not longer than six (6) hours (including driving time)
• Are not considered high risk activities as outlined in the most recent Safety Activity Checkpoints.

You must have a copy of all four Annual Forms for each girl at the meeting or activity.  You need a copy of these forms in each vehicle for quick access in an emergency. You also need to leave a list of your itinerary and a copy of the Annual Forms with your at-home-emergency contact.

Kaleidoscope? Savannah? Somewhere else that’s exciting? Traveling with your troop can be a lot of fun – exposing both your girls and YOU to wonderful adventures. But you need to fill out the proper paperwork – months and even years – ahead of time.  Check with our Girl Scout Council for the needed forms and timelines.

Stepping Out training is required for any overnight trip. However, Stepping Out training does not permit outdoor overnights, outdoor cooking, campfires, barbecues, or fireplaces.

Outdoor Training Certification is required when spending the night at a camp ground, cooking outdoors, and/or building a campfire.

You must have your approved (signed) copy of your Trip Forms, including the Specific Trip Permission forms and Annual Forms, with you during the trip. If you do not, and a medical emergency occurs, the participants are not covered by Girl Scout insurance for the event.

Always remember to check the most recent Safety Activity Checkpoints when planning your trip.

When you have a background check done, you specify what organization, like your employer, is requesting it and should get the results.  You can’t go back and add other organizations to prior background checks, you have to have a new check done anytime a new organization, like Girl Scouts, needs one.

You are thinking about hosting an event and you have questions.

First: THANK YOU!  Fun events keep Girl Scouts exciting and interesting.

Click here for more information about hosting events.

Your troop has big plans!  And they knock the fall and cookie sales out of the park.  But to make their plans work, they might need more funds.

Click here to find out more!