For new Cub Scout parents
Start a Den
You volunteered (or you're about to) — here's the entire runway in one place: the training you need, the meetings already planned for you, and how to grow a den your Scout's friends never want to leave. No Scouting experience required.
6–8 Scouts
The ideal den: one grade level, one leader, one assistant — friends first, program second.
Always two-deep
Two registered adults at every activity, no one-on-one contact — the safety rules that protect kids and leaders alike.
Nothing to invent
Every meeting for every rank is pre-planned by national — your job is showing up with the supplies list.
The runway
Six steps to your first den meeting
Every registered adult completes Youth Protection Training and a background check before working with youth — it's the non-negotiable foundation, and it's what lets parents trust the program with their kids.
- • Create a my.Scouting account and take YPT (free, ~75 minutes, online)my.scouting.org
- • Submit an adult leader application for Den Leader through your pack's Committee Chair
- • Your pack covers or reimburses the registration fee in most cases — just ask
Trained leaders run better meetings and burn out less. The online course walks through exactly how a den meeting flows — you don't need any Scouting background.
- • In my.Scouting → My Training, complete the Den Leader learning plan for your den's rankTraining portal
- • Skim the Den Leader Guide for your rank (Lion, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos) — meeting plans are pre-writtenCub Scout den meeting plans
Dens that meet on a predictable rhythm keep families. The standard: two den meetings a month, plus the monthly pack meeting — same weekday, same time, same place.
- • Pick a weekday evening or weekend slot that works for YOUR family first — you're the one showing up every time
- • School cafeterias, libraries, parks, and your chartered org's hall are all normal den homes
- • Coordinate with your Cubmaster so den and pack meetings don't collide
New dens don't need to invent anything. National publishes complete den meeting plans for every rank, and the first award — Bobcat — is designed to be earned in the first month.
- • Use the pre-built den meeting plans for your rank — supplies list, agenda, and activities includedDen meeting plans
- • Aim every new Scout at the Bobcat badge by your pack's September meeting — it's the hook that makes Scouting real
- • Meeting 1 formula: a game, the Bobcat requirements, a snack, and a parent huddle at pickup
The number-one reason new families drift: they didn't know when the next meeting was. One group text or email thread solves it.
- • Collect every family's phone + email at your first meeting; start a group text or email thread
- • Send a 2-line reminder 2 days before every meeting: time, place, what to bring
- • Use the ready-made welcome email sequence in our Toolkit — 7-day, 30-day, and 60-day messages, written for youMessage studio
Six to eight kids is the magic size — big enough for games and friendships, small enough for one leader. And a full den is next year's retention: kids stay where their friends are.
- • Your Scout's classmates are the recruiting list: birthday-party rules apply — invite the whole class
- • Print your pack's QR poster and buddy cards from the Toolkit for school open housesQR generator
- • Send friends and neighbors your pack's join page — they can ask questions or apply in 15 minutesUnit directory
You're not alone
Who's got your back
Your Cubmaster & pack committee
Registration paperwork, meeting space, supplies budget, and an experienced leader to shadow — ask for all of it.
Your District Executive
The council's professional staff for your island — training dates, recruitment materials, and answers. Contacts are on scoutinghawaii.org.
Financial assistance
Registration, uniforms, camp — the council's simplified online application is confidential and takes five minutes. Cost should never keep a kid (or a den) out of Scouting.