The Boy Scouts of America has replaced major portions of the Cub Scout Advancement Program as of June 1, 2015.
The prior program ended on May 31, 2015.
Boys in Kindergarten are known as Lions. Boys in the first through third grades (6-9 year olds) are referred to as "Cub Scouts". Boys in the fourth and fifth grades (9 and 10 year olds) are called "Webelos Scouts". "Webelos" is an Acronym which stands for
WE'll
BE LOyal
Scouts (
WE-BE-LO-S), and is not a "plural" word form. It is an adjective, and should always include the "S".
New Program:
The New Cub Scout Program, which began on June 1, 2015, still features Rank Advancement, which is now based on a series of "Core" (Required), and "Elective" (Optional) "Adventures". The Sports and Academics program has been discontinued, with some features from that program merged into the various "Adventures".
The first badge all Cub Scouts earn, regardless of age, is the Bobcat Badge. After earning the Bobcat Badge, they proceed to work on advancement specific to their grade or age level. As part of these requirements, they will still learn the the Cub Scout Motto, Salute, Handshake, and Sign. The Cub Scout Promise and the Law of the Pack have been retired, and replaced with the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.
- Effective August of 2016, Kindergarten boys can join Cub Scouts as Lions. Requirements are found in the "Lion Adventure Guide".
- In the First Grade, Cub Scouts work toward earning the Tiger badge. The requirements are found in the Tiger Handbook.
- In the Second Grade, Cub Scouts work toward the Wolf Badge. The requirements are found in the Wolf Handbook.
- In the Third Grade, Cub Scouts work toward the Bear Badge. The requirements are found in the Bear Handbook.
- The Webelos Program is a two year program for Fourth and Fifth Grade Boys. Fourth Grade Boys work toward the Webelos Badge, while Fifth Graders work toward the Arrow of Light badge. The requirements for both are found in the Webelos Handbook. Both grades select from a common group of Elective Adventures. The Webelos Activity Badges and the Compass Point Emblem are no longer used, and the Webelos Badge is no longer a prerequisite for the Arrow of Light.
Completely new versions of the Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Handbooks and companion Den Leader Guides were issued in May, 2015, to be used after the June 1, 2015 starting date. The Handbooks are available in English with Perfect or Coil bindings, and in Spanish, while the Guides are looseleaf. Each of the English version Handbooks and the Guides are also available as Kindle Books, from Amazon.com. Since the requirements have been completely rewritten, we have not provided any web pages showing the changes. For the Tiger, Wolf, and Bear levels, Scouts that complete an "Adventure" will receive a recognition, in the form of a metal "belt loop". The recognitions for those working toward the Webelos and/or Arrow of Light badges will be in the form of pins.
For most "Traditional" units, which use grade levels to determine the program, the transition will be quite simple. See the explanation here. There is a link on that page to a document explaining the transition which the LDS units should use.
The Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, and Arrow of Light rank requirements, including the requirements for all of the "Adventures" are posted on this site. Use the links below to see the requirements.
Checklists for each of the Rank Badges, and Workbooks for each of the various required and elective Adventures for each rank have been developed and are available through links on each of the pages listed above, or from an index page, by clicking here. ZIP files, containing all of the Checklists for the Rank Badges and all of the Workbooks for the Adventures for each Rank can also be downloaded, by clicking here.
Advancement Tracking Spreadsheets by Scott Selhorst (right-click on these links and save to your hard drive).
These spreadsheets track Cub Scout advancement under the requirements which went into effect on June 1, 2015.
For tracking advancements using the requirements which were in effect through May 31, 2015, Click Here.
Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts, are also able to earn the Cub Scout World Conservation Award and the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award, but the requirements for those awards have been revised to reflect the new Cub Scouts program. The new requirements can be found by clicking on the links above. Requirements for the National Den Award and the National Summertime Pack Award have also been revised to reflect the new Cub Scouts program.
Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts will also still be able to earn a series of Religious Emblems awarded by a number of religious organizations, and they will still be able to earn a number of other Special Awards and Emblems, including the Nova and Supernova Awards. The requirements vary, but will not be affected by the changes to the Cub Advancement program..