Communicate with Your Local Police Department
Establish a relationship with your local Police Department to determine any support they may be able to
provide during product sales, especially those related to cookie booths, and any safety precautions they
might suggest. While Police Departments vary from state to state and city to city, many of them have
resources such as:
● School Resource Officers who have specific training for communicating with young people
● Community Volunteers who may be able to assist by being present during booth sales
Police departments can also provide information on areas and addresses to avoid, as well as access to
known sex offender registries.
Prepare for Emergencies
Regardless of the type of activity, you need to be prepared for emergencies involving girls or other
adults. This should include having a first aid kit always available and making sure that if someone is
injured and needs help, that one adult cares for the injured person while another adult seeks help.
Arrange for Adult Supervision
Adults provide supervision and guidance for all grade levels, and must accompany Girl Scout Daisies,
Brownies, and Juniors when they are selling, taking orders for or delivering products. Adults must be
present at booth activities, regardless of the age of the girls (see also the section “Knowing How Many
Volunteers You Need”).
Adults who oversee Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors must:
● Be aware of how, when and where the girls are selling products
● Be on call when girls are participating in product sales
● Be readily available to them should they need assistance.
● Help girls understand how to be safe in their surroundings, and always enforce the use of the
buddy system
Adult supervision for all Girl Scouts extends to any online activity. Consult the “Computer/Online Use”
Safety Activity Checkpoints for specific information about safe online practices for all activities, and to
obtain a copy of the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge.
Plan for Safeguarding Money
Girls should always have a plan for safeguarding money, which includes such things as:
● Not walking around with large amounts of money
● Keeping the cash box against a wall or behind a barrier of cookie boxes
● Not keeping money at home or school
● Giving cookie money to supervising adults, who will deposit the money as soon as possible
Use the Buddy System
Using the buddy system, girls are divided into teams of two. Each girl is responsible for staying with her
buddy at all times, warning her buddy of danger, giving her buddy immediate assistance if safe to do so,
and seeking help when the situation warrants it. Girls are encouraged to stay near the group or buddy
with another team of two, so in the event someone is injured, one person cares for the patient while two
others seek help.