Beginning next year, the look of Boy Scout troops across the U.S. could change.
Announced Oct. 11, the Boy Scouts of America will allow girls into the Cub Scouts beginning next year. It was also announced a program, projected to be available in 2019, for older girls based on the Boy Scout's curriculum that allows the girls to obtain the Eagle Scout rank.
"This decision doesn't change the fact that we are the best choice for the girls as we have been for over 100 years," Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland communications manager Lori Enyart said.
According to the Boy Scouts of America's website, the Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its Cub Scout program after years of receiving requests from families and girls.
The website went on to explain beginning in the 2018 program year, families can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts. Existing packs may choose to establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack. Cub Scout dens will be single-gender -- all boys or all girls.
Christy Slaughter of Bloomfield and Girl Scout Leader of Troops 40096, 70670, 71526 and 71218, said in a small community many homes include both Boy and Girl Scout members.
With this mix in households, Slaughter said she has girls in her troops who have brothers in Boy Scouts and attend Boy Scout events with them and vice versa.
As a mother herself, Slaughter said she would be "a little overprotective" of her daughter and not want her in certain situations such as overnight camping trips if she truly wanted to join Boy Scouts.
"I will never hold back my daughter and tell her she cannot do something because it's meant for boys," Slaughter said. "I believe in girl empowerment."
Slaughter went on to say she would encourage her daughter to explore her desires to do the activity with the Girl Scouts since she is a third generation scout and her family is very active within the organization.
Before being a troop leader for the past 11 years, Slaughter was in Girl Scouts until high school and recently has began serving as a Volunteer Service Unit manager for the Stoddard County area where she helps train, mentor and guide new and existing volunteers for Girl Scouts.
When she was a child, Slaughter's mother was also active in Girl Scouts as a neighborhood chairman who took care of events and camps for area scouts.
Currently, Slaughter's four troops are compiled of 20 girls in second through 12th grade from Bloomfield, Dexter, Bernie, Essex and Puxico.
"There is always room for more," Slaughter said of her Girl Scouts motto.
As to what brought about the decision to let girls join the Boy Scouts, Slaughter said she thought a possible factor could have been busy parents wanting both their daughters and sons to be involved in the same activities due to busy households.
While the second scouting option for girls has not come up in any of Slaughter's troops, she also believes the decision will not hurt Girl Scouts membership numbers as a whole.
"I look at it as another opportunity for girls to grow stronger," Slaughter said. "Girl Scouts is a strong organization that has been around for over 100 years. It is the best, safest all girl environment for girls to develop with courage, confidence and character."
The friendships within Girl Scouts have also proven to become some of the strongest and longest bonds many of the girls have found.
Slaughter's co-leader, who she said was a stranger at the time, has became one of her "very best friends" which she credits to Girl Scouts.
"Girl Scouting has the proven girl-led, girl-focused program designed for girls, with girls providing an inclusive, safe space in which girls are free to explore their potential and take the lead," Enyart said.