The Unofficial Parent Handbook: A Compendium of Practical Information on Scouts BSA for Scout Parents

Scouts BSA (formerly the Boy Scouts) is the main program of the Boy Scouts of America. This book is intended for parents of new Scouts joining the Scouts BSA, where they will encounter a unique and fully-formed culture, with terminology, traditions, acronyms, and expectations that can be very hard to penetrate. What is the SPL? How does my kid earn merit badges? Should I take YPT or IOLS? Who or what is the AC? Do camping nights count for NOA? What is a Grubmaster? Will they have ESci at the MBU? All of this may seem obscure and even off-putting. Attending a one-hour orientation meeting put on by the troop will not scratch the surface of what parents will want to know.

That is why this book exists. It provides an overview of the Scouts BSA program, the expectations for the parents, the expectations for the youth, and explanations of lots of topics that will help the parent understand what is going on. There is strong emphasis on parents stepping back and letting their child grow and become independent with Scouting, including failing safely. Scouts BSA troops are supposed to be "Scout Led' and this book helps parents understand what that means for them and for their kids.

After initial Quick Start checklists for both parents and youth, chapters include: Your Role as a Parent; BSA Policies of Note; Scheduling and Time Commitments; Uniforms; Ranks, Awards and Advancement; Merit Badges; Eagle Scout; Troop Structure; Regular Camping; Summer Camp; High Adventure; Order of the Arrow; After Eagle; Equipment; and a Glossary.

An important goal of this book is to help parents become comfortable with joining the program as a volunteer, starting out with one of very many small jobs, and hopefully working up to larger volunteer roles. It is not coincidental that many of the scouts who earn the Eagle Rank have parents who are really involved in Scouting, and this book will help parents 'get it' and hopefully want to help the program.

The section on Equipment describes the types of equipment Scouts use, with explanations of different types of equipment in each category, along with suggestions on where the parent can reasonably save money and get lower priced equipment and where (in a few cases) going cheap is a bad idea. This is not a buying guide, but rather an informational guide to help parents make informed decisions about what to get, where to get it, and even when to get it.

The author is an Eagle Scout and parent to two current Scouts, including an Eagle and a girl in one of the new all girls' troops. Between them, they have earned over 130 of the 138 different merit badges, many or most of the special awards available to Scouts. He is a founder of an all-girls' troop in 2019 when they were first available and remains an Assistant Scoutmaster there. Most of the parents involved in the girls' troop are women who, by definition, were not themselves Boy Scouts, so this has provided a unique opportunity to see how truly new parents learn about Scouts and become involved. Also a former Vice Chair of his local BSA District.

In case the word "Unofficial" in the title did not make it clear, this book is not a publication of the Boy Scouts of America. It is in no way a substitute for the Scouts BSA Handbook for youth. While the BSA publishes several leader guides for its high-involvement volunteers, there is no book of basics for the parents. This book fills that gap.

Version 1.1