Thousands of girls have now joined the Boy Scouts of America, or BSA, across the United States. The previously all-male organization announced last year it would begin permitting girls to join the Cub Scouts in 2018. The Cub Scouts is a similar group for younger children. The BSA also plans to create a new program next year for older girls wishing to join the organization. The Cub Scout program officially begins nationwide later this year. But the BSA gave local councils the choice to get started earlier than planned. About two-thirds of U.S. councils chose to begin early, with about 3,000 girls accepted into the Cub Scouts so far. The new plans call for smaller Cub Scout groups to be either all-boys or all-girls.