New Scout Checklist

In order to be a member of Troop 28, your scout must be registered with BSA.  This registration allows your scout’s advancement to be tracked for any aspiring Eagle scouts, and ensures that your scout is covered by BSA’s liability insurance during any Troop 28 or other authorized scouting activities.  We also ask that families register with our troop directly so we have needed contact information and troop dues, which subsidize activities and materials.

BSA National and Council fees consist of:

• $25 for first-time BSA scouts
• Annual dues ($66 in 2021, prorated by month)
• $9 Council insurance fee
• $12 annual subscription to Scouts’ Life magazine (optional)

Troop dues for 2021-2022 were $150 for a full year, $65 for scouts joining after January 1st, 2022 (discounted to $60 through March 15th).

Financial assistance is available through Friends of Glencoe Scouting and through Northeast Illinois Council.  Friends of Glencoe Scouting offers discounted dues and activity fees. The Council offers financial assistance for uniforms, BSA dues, and “camperships” for summer camps, so no scout should have to miss out due to financial constraints. Please reach out in confidence to [email protected] to request information on how to join the troop and apply for financial assistance.

IMPORTANT! Cub Scouts Pack 28 has asked that we hold off on transferring your scouts’ BSA National registration records into the Troop 28’s roster while they finish some administrative updates on their end.  This will NOT hold up your scout’s ability to participate as a full member of our Troop. As a registered member of the Pack, your scout’s BSA dues will transfer with him, along with his insurance and any advancement records when the time comes. Please do NOT try to transfer or register your scout on the BSA site until you hear back from me/the Epsteins that it is safe to do so.  In the meantime, it is safe to go ahead with the rest of the new scout checklist.

If your scout is CURRENTLY registered with another Northeast Illinois Council BSA unit (including a Cub Scout pack), please follow the instructions below to transfer his existing registration from the other unit to Troop 28, please follow the instructions below or see the BSA reference if you need more information:

1. Start at the BSA Scouting.org site and find Troop 28, Glencoe, Illinois (St. Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church). Click on Apply Now to begin.
2. If you had a scout previously registered, or you were previously registered as an adult leader, please log in with your My.scouting account (or try to reset password with the email address you would have used previously).
3. Once logged in, click on the Menu in the upper-left hand corner of the screen and select My Application.
4. You should see yourself and your scout(s) listed below. Click on the Transfer button next to your scout.
5. In the popup window, search for Unit Type = Troop, Unit Number = 0028 and Accept Gender or Boys and click Search.
6. You should see a listing of troops below. Click on the Select button next to Troop 0028 St. Elisabeths Episcopal Church.
7. You may see a “Loading Resources, Please Wait” indicator. If it doesn’t resolve, please log out and try again. After clicking Select, you should see Troop 0028 in the blue stripe across the top and a popup window with your scout’s info and the correct To and From units. Verify that the Transfer Registration Information is correct. Your scout should be transferring To Organization Troop 0028 St. Elisabeths Episcopal Church.
8. Click Submit Transfer and email [email protected] when done so she can watch for your scout’s registration. It should take 24-48 hours to process.

ONLY if the above fails and you are asked to, try this alternative, paper-based method:

1. Complete a paper Youth Application.  Make sure to sign and date it. If you know your child’s BSA ID number, please include it.
2. Sign, scan it and email it to [email protected] for the Scoutmaster to sign.
3. The troop will then forward your application to the BSA. This process may take a up to a few weeks due to staff reductions at BSA National due to the pandemic. However, NEIC requests paper applications for any transfers to make sure your scout doesn’t end up with two accounts created in the system.
4. There will be fees due to the BSA/Council which will be prorated by the month you join.  We will let you know how to submit payment by cash/credit card once the Council lets us know the amount due.

In order to be a member of Troop 28, your scout must be registered with BSA (formerly “Boy Scouts of America”). This registration allows your scout’s advancement to be tracked for any aspiring Eagle scouts, and ensures that your scout is covered by BSA’s liability insurance during any Troop 28 or other authorized scouting activities. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE follow these instructions carefully.  If the screens you see do not match what you see below, please reach out [email protected] to  and ask for assistance.  Untangling misregistered scouts often takes several weeks or months, so it’s really important that we get them registered correctly the first time.

1. Start at the BSA Scouting.org site and find Troop 28, Glencoe, Illinois (St. Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church). Click on Apply Now to begin.
2. If you had a scout previously registered, please log in with your My.scouting account (or try to reset password with the email address you would have used previously).
3. Start the application for a Youth member.
4. If your child is currently registered with another BSA program, please stop here and look at the instructions for Step 1a, above.
5. If your child was previously active with any BSA program (another troop, Cub Scouts, Venture Scouts, or otherwise), but is NOT currently active, please enter his youth member ID number. If you do not remember the youth member ID number, please click on the small question mark in a circle and use the search feature to look it up. Please be careful of spelling (using a nickname or middle name may result in a second account being created for your scout). If your scout was previously active and you are unable to locate their information, please email [email protected] assistance.
6. Complete the application.  Complete/update the scout’s information then complete/update your parent information (log in using the same email address as before if you were previously registered).
7. If you cannot recall your account, please try your most likely email address(es) and try resetting the password.  Or contact the troop new family coordinator for assistance.
8. When you get the last screen, you will be prompted to submit payment for dues.  Please go ahead and pay the BSA and Council fees as calculated by the online application system. BSA operates on a calendar year basis and fees are prorated by month (see Dues and Financial Assistance Overview, above, for more details).
9. Please let the recruiting coordinator know when you have submitted the application so we can track it.  This registration process takes a few days.

Each year, the troop collects dues to help defray the cost of troop-provided items (Class B T-shirt, troop neckerchief and slide, scout handbook) and to help subsidize troop costs for activities and outings.

Please click here to pay your troop dues — full year if joining in the fall, or part-year dues if joining in the spring.  While you are paying dues, you may wish to purchase a canvas handbook cover or uniform insignia from the troop store.  We keep a small number of items of the most frequently used stock in troop inventory in Glencoe to save parents from having to order online or visit the Scout Store in Vernon Hills. We charge the same retail price for items, but charge a $2 handling fee per order.

Once dues payments are received, your scout will receive a BSA Scout Handbook and Class B T-shirt.  A troop neckerchief and slide will be presented at the troop’s next Court of Honor.

Financial assistance is available for scouting related expenses including dues, outing fees, and uniform items via Friends of Glencoe Scouting and through NEIC (please see above under Dues and Financial Assistance Overview for more details).

Scouts are expected to wear a Class A (“dress uniform” beige shirt) to all Scout meetings, en route to troop campouts, and to all non-troop Scouting activities (e.g., Council Klondike Derby, First Aid Meet, merit badge days, summer camp), including most virtual events.  They will also receive a free troop Class B T-shirt (any scouting-related T-Shirt) once they are registered with the troop. Class Bs are typically worn at more active scouting events (during campouts, on canoeing trips, at some merit badge programs, etc.).

We understand that sometimes scouts come straight from afternoon activities that have run late to troop meetings, etc. and we would much rather have a scout in attendance out of uniform, than missing an activity because they don’t have time to run home and change. However, scouts may find that they feel out of place at troop activities where all the other scouts are in uniform. They will also find that many non-troop-hosted scouting events (e.g., summer camp, merit badge programs, First Aid Meet) will actively call out scouts who are out of uniform.  Financial assistance is available through the troop and the Council, so no scout should ever miss scouting events due to lack of uniform.

Class A Shirt: A typical youth shirt will run about $35, with the insignia patches adding another $5-10. BSA recently discontinued the short-sleeved microfiber shirt that most of the troop scouts prefer, but you may be able to locate one online or used. The newer shirts are a cotton-blend twill; short-sleeves are recommended because they will not want to wear long sleeves in the warmer months, and can always wear a shell underneath or a fleece on top for warmth. Please visit the Troop 28 Uniform Guidelines page for more information on what to buy, where to buy, required patches, and patch placement if you are going to sew them on yourself.

Insignia Patches: If you purchase your shirt locally at the NEIC scout shop in Vernon Hills, they will be able to help you pick out the insignia patches for a new scout in Troop 28. If you purchase a shirt online, you can purchase the insignia patches from oour troop store.  NOTE: These are not “earned” patches like rank patches, merit badges, or awards. These patches identify the scout as a member of our troop, council, and Scouts BSA.

Sewing: Badge adhesive is HIGHLY discouraged for shirts. You may sew on the patches yourself or enlist a local seamstress or patch service.  Please see our Patch Sewing resource page for more information.

Financial Assistance: If you require financial assistance in securing a uniform, please contact the troop Treasurer or Financial Assistance Coordinator in confidence to make a request.

All scouts attending troop or BSA overnights are required to provide a copy of BSA Medical Forms A and B each year.  Form A includes an activities waiver, and Form B is a self-reported medical statement (no doctor’s signature is required).

In addition, scouts should attach copies of the front and back of their current medical insurance card.

Please send your completed medical forms and direct any medical form questions to the troop Youth Protection Champion at [email protected].

Tip: Keep a copy of your medical form before submitting.  If there are no changes, minimal changes, you can just amend as needed and attach a new Form A rather than completing from scratch.

Scouts planning to attend week-long summer camp will also need to provide a copy of BSA Medical Form C dated within 12 months of the campout date, which will require a doctor’s signature. If your scout is undecided about attending summer camp, we’d recommend having the doctor’s office fill out Form C during the annual physical, just in case, so you don’t have to go back and have it completed at a later date.

Troop 28 asks at least one parent for each scout to complete Youth Protection Training (a.k.a. “YPT”) to help keep their own scouts safe and as a best practice. YPT is required for any parents who participate in troop overnights. Engaged parents help both the troop and scouts thrive, and we always welcome parents to find ways to pitch in that fit their schedule. The troop always needs at least one troop parent to attend Monday night meetings and as chaperones for outings.

Youth Protection Training:  BSA takes youth protection very seriously. Consequently BSA National requires adults who participate in overnight activities to complete Youth Protection Training and to provide medical forms and a health insurance card.  Troop 28 asks all parents to complete online YPT training my.scouting.org.  It consists of about an hour of videos to help you recognize signs of abuse either while acting as a chaperone, or as a parent.  Instructions for completing the training can be found here.  Please send your completion certificate and direct any YPT questions to the troop Youth Protection Champion at [email protected].

When taking YPT, if you have a Scoutbook account, or you previously have had a BSA registered account, please use the same login email as you used previously.  If you are not sure, please contact the Advancement Chair for more details.

Adult Medical Forms:   Adults participating in overnights also need to complete Medical Forms A and B (see above for mode details) and submit the front and back of a current medical insurance card. (Keep a copy for your own reference and to facilitate renewal paperwork). Please send your completed forms and direct any medical form questions to the troop Youth Protection Champion at [email protected].

Adult Registration:  Parents interested in serving as Assistant Scoutmasters or on the Parent Committee are asked to reach out to the troop’s Committee Chair (for Parent Committee) or Scoutmaster (for ASM) for more information and to complete a BSA Adult Application.  The troop covers adult leader registration fees.

Note: Registering as an adult with the BSA requires a background check; if you are not comfortable providing your SSN in writing, you can call the local council, NEIC, for more details on how to securely provide the information by phone.

Volunteer:  Both the troop and the scouts thrive when parents are engaged. Parents are encouraged to attend troop meetings or campouts as chaperones, and other current volunteer needs can be viewed on our website. Parents also have helped to organize day trips like a trip to Milwaukee’s Harley Davidson Museum or the Council First Aid Meet, or have led merit badge workshops. If your scout is going to attend a program, you can bring other scouts with you. Please reach out to the Troop Committee Chair or Scoutmaster if you have a skill or interest you’d like to share with the scouts.

The vast majority of troop communications will be sent via TroopWebHost.  If you are not already on the mailing list, or if you need to change your contact information or your scout’s contact information, please reach out the Recruiting or Advancement Chairs. BSA adult leaders are prohibited from contacting scouts directly without also CC’ing a parent so we require at least one parent receive the troop’s email communications, or the scout will not have visibility into important announcements and any scheduling changes.

This troop website at www.glencoescouting.org is the repository for the troop’s public files and is home to the troop’sofficial calendar. If you want to subscribe to the troop calendar on a mobile device or in a productivity application like Microsoft Outlook, please scan the QR code below or use the following URL: http://www.glencoescouting.org/subscribe-troop-28

As your scout participates in campouts and other activities, you may find there are other items that you may wish to purchase. The single most useful item will be the canvas handbook cover.  Since the scout handbook is used extensively as reference and for tracking advancement requirements, it takes a beating. It is often outdoors at campgrounds in inclement weather.  A cover can be purchased from the Scout Shop in Vernon Hills, from ScoutStuff.org, or from the troop inventory.

When preparing for outings, you can refer to the troop’s camping resources page for general suggestions on what to pack. Trips that have special gear requirements/suggestions (e.g., a cycling helmet or skis) will list those items on the trip information sheet provided at time of sign-up.