Deadline for Cub Scout Rank Advancement

[DYB-Mike]

Greetings Scouters,

 

A poster on the Forum has written on a couple of occasions that June 1st is the deadline for Cub Scout rank advancement. I have not seen guidance that states this.

 

I have suggested to the Pack that, should the situation arise, we would give the scout until August 31st to earn his rank. If it were not completed by September 1st the scout would then simply begin to work on the next rank he would be eligible for. I had brought this point up at a training session and did not get any opposition. The Cub Scout Leader Book states that if necessary, allow the boy an extra month or two to earn the badge, but does not state what time frame that extra month or two would fall into.

 

The only exception I can see, at least in our Pack anyway, is for Arrow of Light. Our boys cross over in late May and since by that time they will either be aging out of Cub Scouts and/or completing the 5th grade and going right into the troop there would be no additional time to earn it.

 

This may be an issue for me as I have had a boy join my Wolf Den in February and he may need some extra time to earn the rank.

 

How do others feel about this? Have I missed some specific guidance on this matter?

 

YIS

Mike

 

[diogenes]

I think the June 1st "deadline" mainly comes from packs that shut down during the summer. June 1st is usually about the end of the school year, so it is easy for many to say "well, he's in 4th grade now, so he moves up"

[Basementdweller]

I have done some searching and in perfect BSA style they have not directly answering the question. It is no where in writing. But I did find a link that says that a Scout cannot begin working on his next rank until the beginning of the Program year or he graduates his current den.

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/FAQS/awards.aspx

 

I hear scoutnet rolls over June 1st. this is the first year I can see what happens for myself. I will let you know.

 

Day camp and such will be wasted on a rank that he should have earned by February.

 

[ScoutNut]

June 1st is NOT the deadline for rank advancement. It is when the BSA computer system automatically bumps up every Cub Scout in the system, and allows new Tiger Scouts to be registered.

 

As you noted, the Cub Scout Leader Book states that if necessary, a Cub Scout can be allowed extra time to complete his rank badge.

 

However, there are a few "buts" attached to that. The extension is for the RANK award ONLY. Not for electives, or any other level specific awards. Since a Cub Scout can only work in one level at a time, he can not work on ANYTHING at all in his new level, while he is finishing up the old level's rank award.

 

I have given Scout's this option a time or three over the years. Since we have no formal Pack meetings over the summer months, like you, I have given them until the first den meeting of the school year (end of Aug, beginning of Sept). If they turn in their old Handbook, completed, at the den meeting they will receive their rank award at the September Pack meeting. Not one Scout has ever taken me up on it. Usually they will kick it in gear, and finish up by the last Pack meeting of the school year (late May for us). However I have also had some who just don't bother. They get their new books and that's that.

[AKdenldr]

In the Wolf year I extended the deadline to August for a couple straggelers that hadn't finished, feeling that I hadn't really planned well enough and communicated well enough through the year. Amazingly, these parents still didn't follow through for the few small items left.

 

I'd extend the date again remembering that these are young boys dependent on home support to get these things done, and that these are good tasks and conversations for their development. Earning the awards (even a bit late) I would think assists with retention.

 

[bbender]

The several instances noted of Packs extending advancement deadlines through the summer only to find that folks didn't catch up after all is consistent with what we've seen in the (few) instances where an otherwise active Scout didn't complete his rank: if they cared to complete it, they'd be done by the end of the year. Not that we'd turn someone away who came in during the summer or during fall roundup with a change of heart and tune, wanting to get Johnny signed off, but we don't waste breath or bandwidth advertising it or asking if they're done.

 

For some, I suspect that the redemption of starting clean in a new year is enough, plus there's usually more boys who've joined, so Johhny isn't the only one without the Wolf badge . . .

[Scoutfish]

My understanding was that National's database used June first as a change point. Or if you will, a set date for when you advance.

 

Why? Well again, the way I understand it is while some packs run their programs year round, others go by school calendar. But what school? What district? What state?

 

Well, in my area( NC) three connecting counties all have different start end dates for the school year.

 

WEll, I can't see National having a set year date for each district, so they just chose one. Maybe it was with a dart tossed at a calendar or picking a date from a hat. But from what I read, it just "happened" to be June first.

 

Now, our pack runs from Sept to June with it's "oficial program" and just has one or two pack fun days during June, July, and August.

 

So, if a Cub Scout hasn't earned rank yet, we allow him to continue working on it until the start of our new year in Sept. But like mentioned above, this does not count for electives, just rank.

 

Not sure about Webelos, because so far as I have seen, all have met rank and whatnot with a little time to spare before crossover.(This message has been edited by scoutfish)

[John-in-KC]

From my understanding, the date a youth member absolutely, positively no longer work the previous rank is the day he starts his next school year.

 

In other words...

 

Tiger must cut off the day he starts the 2d grade

Wolf must cut off the day he starts the 3d grade

Bear must cut off the day he starts the 4th grade.

Webelo, absent a special need, IIRC is cut off by ScoutNet at the 12th birthday.

 

NOTE: Council Registrars IIRC have options in ScoutNet to promote boys based on the area opening of school. In my neck of the woods, I think our registrar does it the day after Labor Day.

[Pack212Scouter]

John, I think that for Webelos it is technically until they complete 5th grate or turn 11.5, whichever is later. In practicallity though, I don't think that anyone would really care until the end of the program year unless the above happens before recharter (it will for one of ours this coming year).

[AG_Scouter]

I think the only "real deadline" is for Arrow of Light. It's my experience (and opinion) that once the Cub Scout bridges to his troop, it's too late to finish up any Cub Scout Ranks & Awards. So if someone were struggling to get done, it might help to have them sit tight, finish up whatever was left for Arrow of Light, and then bridge and register as a Boy Scout.

 

A couple of years down the Boy Scout Trail, the young man isn't going to care one bit if he had his Bear, or not... But as he sits for his Eagle Board of Review, he'll want to have that blue and yellow patch for his Arrow of Light.

[infoscouter]

Have you seen the "Cub Scout Cycle"? - its in your leader book. It shows the typical schedule on which Scouts move to the next level

 

http://directservicebsa.org/pdf/13-027.pdf

 

It shows that June 1 is the "roll-over" date from one level to another.

 

Read the definitions for joining - a Tiger Cub is "a boy who has finished Kindergarten", a Wolf "has finished first grade", etc.

[John-in-KC]

The National Direct Service Office are the folks who handle BSA units chartered around the world who are not members of TransAtlantic or Far East Councils. (In other words, Scout Packs and Troops affiliated with US ex-pats near embassies around the world, or US Armed Forces who have family accompanying them in places like Bahrain).

 

I'll get with my professionals and get an answer...(This message has been edited by John-in-Kc)

[Basementdweller]

The tiger cub date of joining brings up a valid argument.

 

If a young man who just finished kindergarten can join tigers, that would mean the current tigers should be wolves. and so on.

 

Just say in.

[Eagle92]

the key to CS is that there is flexibility to the program. With CS, b/c there is both age and grade factors, there is no "one size fits all"

[Scoutfish]

I completely agree Eagle92.

Supposing a kid fails Kindergarten, he could still be with the same age group of boys in the Tiger dens.

 

Basement, that's the issue isn't it: Finishing a grade versus starting the next vs wether esach pack has a summer program or not.

 

 

Here's one for everybody: You have a kid who advances in school really fast. Maybe he's 6 years old, but ends up being the next prodegy or Einstien. Supposing he'd even care about Cub Scouts instead of making robots and solving advanced chemical equations...could he be a Cub rank based on grade instead of age?

Could a 6 or 7 year old be a Webelos Scout?

 

Not that I'd ever expect it to happen , just wondering.