Working Together to Keep Our Girl Scout Community Safe

Updated: 9/8/20

Girl Scouts of Orange County continues to closely monitor COVID-19 guidance from local and national health authorities. We are currently evaluating the impact of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy announced on Friday, August 28, and its implications for our business processes and Guidance for Staff and Volunteers. We are aware that Orange County has moved into the Red Tier as of 9/8/20 and we are updating our guidelines for resuming in-person activities. More information will be communicated soon. Thank you for your support in keeping Girl Scouts safe and providing an engaging space for girls to prepare for a lifetime of leadership.

Please read our  FAQ (En Español) for additional guidance or contact us at  customercare@girlscoutsoc.org. We're here for  you.

If you have an urgent concern that needs immediate response, please call (949) 461-8800 and follow the prompts to reach the manager on call.

COVID-19 Guidance For Staff and Volunteers

Updates on Girl Scouts of Orange County Closures

Out of an abundance of caution in line with the State of California’s Stay at Home order, Girl Scouts of Orange County’s properties, including our offices, Program Centers, and Irvine and Yorba Linda Shops, are closed until further notice. Curbside pick-up for online shop orders is available from our Irvine office. Girl Scouts’ online shop is open 24/7 for all your Girl Scout needs. Council staff are telecommuting during our regular business hours, M-TH from 8AM-6PM. If you need to reach your troop support specialist or a specific member of our team, the best way is by email. For general questions, please contact us at customercare@girlscoutsoc.org.
Troops should plan for virtual meetings and activities through 9/15/2020. We anticipate that we will have more information regarding in-person activities by that time. Visit our Girl Scouts at Home webpage for free badges and activities that our Girl Scouts can do at home.
All council-sponsored in-person Girl Program experiences are cancelled or postponed until further notice. For council events/programs that are not currently rescheduled, refunds will be provided for those who registered. Registrants for any postponed/rescheduled events will be transferred to the new date, unless a refund is requested. We appreciate your patience, as our refund processing may take longer than normal. Please check your email and our website girlscoutsoc.org/events for additional information regarding upcoming events.
All in-person weekend Camp Scherman sessions - including Family Camp - are canceled until further notice. All camp registrants have received a full refund, including the camp deposit.
All in-person trainings are cancelled until further notice. Many of our trainings are now available online. Visit girlscoutsoc.org/events for more information.
For Girl Scout events managed by outside councils or vendors, check with the council/vendor regarding cancellations or refunds. All in-person troop meetings, trips, Service Unit events, and other volunteer-led programs/events must be cancelled through until further notice.
Girl Scouts' online shop is open 24/7 for all your Girl Scout merchandise needs and curbside pick up is available from our Irvine Office. Please read and follow the Curbside Pick Up instructions so we can provide you with the best service and protect your health and safety, as well as our staff. Program Center Pick-ups are suspended until the offices reopen. Your cooperation, patience and understanding with our new process is greatly appreciated.

At the bottom of this page, we have included a list of free and low-cost conferencing tools that could be useful to you in support of virtual meetings and events. We encourage troop leaders to look at these and alternative options and discuss with parents and girls the best solution for your troop’s needs during this challenging time.

Explore video and audio conferencing tools with free versions for virtual meetings.

While all of these options have a free version, please note that you may be prompted to consider upgraded versions for a subscription fee. Please follow the Safety Activity Checkpoints for Virtual Troop Meetings for any online activities involving Girl Scouts or volunteers.

Zoom –   FAQ
Note: Meeting duration is a maximum of 40 minutes in free version

A note on how to keep Zoom meetings secure
For additional guidance, please review Zoom's security recommendatons.
- Make all conference meetings password protected.
- Discourage sharing meeting links on public-facing platforms.
- Enable/Assign a Co-Host that has the same administration duties while the administrator/host presents.
- Disable the Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin option, which prevents those kicked off the call to come back.
  
  For even more meeting security, you can:
- Disable all non-host screen sharing capabilities, making sure screen share capabilities remain host-only.
- Enable the “Waiting Room” feature, which allows hosts of the meetings to see participants in a virtual staging area so they can be vetted before joining.
Skype –   Support
Note: Up to 10 participants free
Webex –   Help Center
 Note: Limited file and content sharing in free version

Chat and Collaboration Tools with free versions

Additional low-cost tools for collaboration and conferencing to consider if the above options do not meet your group’s needs.

GoToMeeting – Support

Google Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet - Support

Program resources for activities girls can do at home

Find the latest virtual program content and resources at girlscoutsoc.org/athome. We also encourage you to check out our Badge Explorer and the Resources Tab on the Volunteer Toolkit for programs you can adapt to continue the Girl Scout program while she may be home from school.

Be a source of comfort and calm for girls.

Girl Scouts of the USA has developed a helpful resource for How to Talk to Your Girl About Coronavirus (español) to help minimize stress and worry in your Girl Scout’s life and give her a sense of calm and control.
CDC - Manage Stress and Anxiety - fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Coping with stress will make you, the people you care about, and your community stronger.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network -Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)