Girls Scout

go to www.girlscouts.org. Look at the adult and girl tabs.

To succeed, the first year, be aware that there will be a lot of time spent organizing, learning and trial and error. I was overwhelemed last year in KG...this year I'm still the troop leader and it is so much easier.

Delegate, delegate, delegate...duties, roles and seek out helpers who have some of the qualifications..i.e. cpr/first aid certified, cookie mom...talk to the local Daisy Consultant, she will be your best helper in the first year.

I love it, not so much in the beginning but now we have so much fun. It has made me even more close to my daughter.

How I wish I had started my own troop in K as a daisy. We have gone through changing leaders every year and only now that another mom and I have taken over, are we doing scouty things.
If you find another mom to be your coleader, you might get the school to let you use a room after school or your church. You could do your home but you have to be firm that pick ups must occur on time. No adults can stay unless they are registered $12 and have a scout background check.

Do not allow siblings to come and stay unless the leaders. They will disrupt and you are not a babysitting service. Also, limit the troop to girls in your child's grade. Don't take both K and 1st because next year the 1st becomes a brownie. Do not give in and take too many kids. The council will keep asking you to take more and more.

Lastly, there are tons of resources online like makingfriends.com also, you mind get mentoring from your local office. if I could go back, I would beg every mom I knew to be a coleader so I could have my own troop. GOod luck

V., could you please let us know more -- Do you want to be a troop leader yourself, or are you asking about what you will experience as a parent of a child who has someone else as a troop leader? Thanks.

My daughter is a 2nd year Daisy and I'm the troop leader this year. So far I like the Girl Scout program. I think it has a lot of good things to teach girls. Maybe you could contact your local Girl Scout council and see if you can learn more about the program and maybe observe a Daisy meeting.

my daughter did 2 years of girl scouts. we had a great experience the leader put a lot of effort into it and made it very fun ! A lot of work I am sure..... They did field trips, service projects, crafts, and a end of the year camping trip. We even got to do Disney when it was volunteer for disney year. It was a great experience.

My daughter's are in GS (a senior and an ambassador) and I've been a parent volunteer for 10 years. If you have any more specific quesions, please pm me.

It can be a very rewarding experience for both you and your daughter. But it can also be very challenging and annoying at times, which is true of all organizations.

Added: Reading the other replies made me think of something. In our area they occassionally run "Daisy Days" or "GS sampler programs". It usually runs for 4 weeks, and both you and your daughter get the opportunity to see what meetings are really like and a chance to ask lots of questions. The one in our town had an employee of GS present, and my daughter actually planned and ran the meetings.

We (my daughters, myself and my hubby - yes hubby is a registered girl scout), have had some great times. My oldest is at the national convention in Houston. Her quote "Everything is amazing. I'm friends with a girl from Japan. I've learned more in one day here than in a whole week at school". That says a lot.

To be a leader, you will have to go through a series of training sessions. Your local council will assist you in setting up a troop and a meeting place. As a troop leader, you can make decissions as to how you want to run your troop. Also, keep in mind that it may seem overwhelming at first, but you don't have to do it all yourself. You will have a co-leader, you can ask the girl's parents for help, you can ask your service unit for help, you can ask older girls for assistance.

You'll never know unless you give it a try. If you feel that being a leader is not right for you, than become a parent volunteer.