How do I deal with Scouts who show up late to meetings?

TL;DR: You deal with it! The point is that they show up.

There’s little or anything you can do as a leader when your Scouts show up late to a meeting or an event. The fact of the matter is that things happen: parents get stuck in traffic or held up at work, kids are kids and might take a long time to get into their uniform, and any other combination of things could happen. However, when you structure your meeting with a gathering activity at the beginning, you are building in a buffer to compensate for any tardiness.

Do I delay the beginning of the meeting when Scouts are late?

Nope. Start on time. This will help to reinforce the need to arrive on time and is only fair for those that arrive early or on time.

Go ahead and begin your gathering activity. Once complete, do your opening per usual. Then, move into your meeting intro & activities. As long as a kiddo shows up and participates in the activity, they should be given credit for those adventure requirements. Again, everyone (including you, the kids, and their parents/guardians) is doing their best! The key thing is that they were even able to show up!

Most of my Scouts are having trouble meeting at our scheduled time. What do I do?

If this is the case where several Scout families are having trouble arriving on time, you might want to consider taking a look at the scheduled meeting time. Is it the best for everyone? Consider meeting with parents at the end of a meeting to discuss changing your meeting schedule. Be sure to check availability with your charter organization first to make sure you have a few options that work for their facility first.

Changing your meeting time might solve your problems. Or, it might just move your problems to a new day and time! Either way, you’re being proactive as a leader to do your best to make sure all your Scouts have an opportunity to participate.

Go out there and do your best!