BSA Expands Programs to Welcome Girls - from Cub Scouts to Highest Rank of Eagle Scout

On October 11, 2017, the Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board unanimously approved welcoming girls into our iconic Cub Scout program, and delivering a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

This decision comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls. The BSA evaluated the results of numerous research efforts, gaining input from current members and leaders — as well as parents and girls who’ve never been involved in Scouting — to understand how to offer families an important additional choice in meeting the character development needs of all their children.

Starting in June 2018, families can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts.  Chartered organizations may choose to establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens, or continue with an all-boy pack. Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls.

The Scouts BSA program currently available to boys ages 11-17 will be available for all-girl troops beginning February 1,  2019.  Girls will be able to earn the ranks of Scout through Eagle and the various merit badges now available to Boy Scouts. This parallel organization of boys' troops and girls' troops allows us to maintain the integrity of the single-gender model, while also meeting the needs of today’s families.  Linked boys and girls troops will be able to operate with a shared troop committee if chartered to the same chartered organization.

Expansion of BSA programs for both boys and girls is not new to BSA.  Although known for our iconic programs for boys, the BSA has offered programs for young women as well as young men ages 14-20 -- since 1971 through Exploring and Sea Scouting, and then also through the Venturing BSA program that began in 1998.