Community planning for an upcoming Guiding year typically begins to take place in late January/early February. ACLs will be provided with a Needs Analysis Report that is generated by staff using data from previous Guiding years. After reviewing the report, ACLs should begin plotting out an action plan with the help of their Community Guiders, staff and advisers.
Planning becomes more focused in the early spring as registration opens and Guider intentions are received. Key areas of focus are
- Supervision ratios
- Number of girls
- User space
Over the summer a targeted recruitment effort should begin to take place and with the help of both unit and Community Guiders, the search for any needed user spaces should take place. By mid-August, ACLs will be asked to review the viability of units and should begin closing using which are unlikely to meet the requirements to open successfully in September. This difficult decision is important to make as it provides families with enough notice to make alternative arrangements if needed.
As units begin to open in September, we continue to make Guider placements and source locations, however the focus shifts to include the permit signing and finding units for waitlisted girls.
January/February/March
Needs analysis and planning begins
April/May/June
Registration opens
Guider intentions go out
Search for user space/recruitment begins
July/August
User space search and Guider recruitment continues
September/October
Unit closures
Recruitment continues
Permit signatures
Waitlist management