A new option for getting children involved in scouting before they even start kindergarten is coming to the area.
Local Scouting America unit Bay-Lakes Council is among seven councils across the country piloting the new Chipmunks program ahead of a nationwide rollout in the coming months. The program is modeled after similar programs in the United Kingdom and Canada that get preschool-age children involved in scouting earlier.
Chipmunks units meet weekly, and meetings are designed more like organized playdates than traditional meetings held by Cub Scouts or Scouts BSA units. Chipmunks replaces ranks and badges with stickers ahead of participants crossing over into a Cub Scout pack as Lion Scouts when they enter kindergarten.
Bay-Lakes Council Scout Executive and CEO Jim Martin said the council is known for finding innovative ways to get children involved. Though the council will start with only two units during the pilot program, Martin said he is encouraged by the early feedback and is looking forward to seeing Chipmunks grow to serve more families.
Chipmunks marks one of the first program additions to Scouting America since Lion Scouts were reintroduced as a national rank in 2018. Martin encourages families interested in the Chipmunks program to contact the council for more information.
Bay-Lakes Council serves more than 7,500 boys and girls through its programs, including several units in Door and Kewaunee counties.
Picture courtesy of Scouting America
