Developmentally, 4-year olds
are curious and energetic. Their language,
sense of time, identification of numbers,
and their fine motor skills progress rapidly.
Children at this age are beginning to test
and feel their own power. They need and enjoy
climbing structures and play apparatus that
allows them to release energy as well as learn.
Four-year olds enjoy dramatic play, field
trips around the neighborhood, books, stories,
and talking. They are self-sufficient in many
ways, but still need help from time to time.
Each child needs opportunities to create,
explore, discover, and experiment to enable
her to find her own unique place in the world.
Wow, the 4-year old girl is just perfect to
be a Daisy Girl Scout!
The national board of directors of Girl Scouts
of the USA recognized that many 4-year old
girls enrolled in Head Start programs around
the country are being served as Daisy Girl
Scouts. The board made the decision to pilot
serving 4-year olds in formal pre-kindergarten
settings as Daisy Girl Scouts.
In the April/May 2003 issue of What’s
Up, a GSUSA newsletter for Girl Scout Program,
Membership, and Research staff, answers were
provided to address the frequently asked questions
about the pilot. Specific Girl Scout resources
were also identified to help councils with
girls this age. |
Q. Which councils
can participate in the 4-year old Daisy Girl
Scout pilot?
A. All councils have the
opportunity to participate in the pilot, which
will be regularly assessed. Councils are at
varying stages of readiness to introduce Girl
Scouting to 4-year olds, and GSUSA has prepared
guidelines to assist those that choose to
participate.
Q. Which 4-year olds can
participate in the pilot?
A. For the duration of
the pilot period, the Girl Scout Program
can be delivered to 4-year olds girls within
a Head Start program or within a formal
pre-kindergarten school setting. Generally
speaking, a formal Pre-K program is a licensed
or accredited child care center operated
for profit or non-profit, that provides
curriculum-based, age appropriate learning
activities for 4-year olds. Because state
laws that define formal Pre-K programs vary,
each council may identify the formal Pre-K
program in its jurisdiction.
Q. Can 4-year-old girls
be in a regular Daisy Girl Scout troop?
A. GSUSA made the decision
that girls should constitute their own troops
within Head Start or the formal Pre-K program
for this pilot period. They should not join
existing Daisy Girl Scout troops or mixed
age groupings, unless they are joining Daisy
Girl Scouts troops that are already a part
of a Head Start program.
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Q. What is the rationale
for the pilot program?
A.
This pilot period presents an important opportunity
to learn whether 4-year olds can benefit from
the Daisy Girl Scout Program. It is not the
intention to register as many
4-year-old members as possible but to track
girls and evaluate the project. Q.
What are appropriate activities and safety
guidelines for the 4-year old Daisy Girl
Scout?
A. Four-year old Daisy
Girl Scouts should not work on the Daisy
Girl Scout petals. Activities should include
nature and wildlife exploration, sports
readiness, arts and crafts, story-telling
and drama, dance movement and music, and
games. Four-year old Daisy Girl Scouts and
their leaders abide by the same Safety-Wise
guidelines and activity checkpoints as all
other registered Girl Scout members. Other
accommodations, due to their age and developmental
characteristics, must also be made.
Q. What program resources
are available for the 4-year-old Daisy Girl
Scout pilot?
A. The following resources
are available from GSUSA:
- The Daisy Girl Scout Leader’s
Guide,
- The Daisy Girl Scout Activity Book,
- The Girl Scout Family Reading Project
(Follow the Reader), and
- The Issues for Girl Scout booklets
including The Zone, Girls are Great, and
Read to Lead.
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