SOUTH HADLEY — As a former Girl Scout, Celia Overby hoped her 6-year-old daughter would find a sense of self, responsibility and community with a local troop just as she did during her childhood, but no troop in the area was accepting new scouts her daughter’s age.

So, Overby connected with other parents in her daughter’s kindergarten class and set out to make a new Daisy Girl Scout troop. The group, which held its first meeting on Feb. 23, currently consists of six girls, and Overby said there’s six more spots available for interested children.

“There already a lot of physically active options like basketball and soccer in South Hadley, but not as many options for girls looking for a different kind of engagement,” Overby said. “Girls that are this young, they really understand themselves and there immediate circle, but don’t really have a larger understanding of the world around them. I was really excited about teaching my child about her community.”

As Daisies, scouts earn petals by completing activities around Girl Scout law. The troop explored the meaning of “honest and fair” during their first meeting through playing games, reading a story and drawing. Each meeting includes activities around a new value of the organization and what it means to embody it.

“It was such a joy to have our first meetings and the girls really loved it,” Overby said. “I started with an hour and they asked if it could be longer next time.”

As a full-time working mother, Overby worried that starting a new Girl Scout troop required more time and planning than she could crave out of her busy schedule. However, Girl Scout’s online resources of handbooks, activities and guidelines eased the process of establishing a new troop and allowed her to spend more quality time with her child without a major lift.

While the troop started just as Girl Scout cookie season ended, Overby said she’s excited for the next season. Starting a new troop while simultaneously teaching young children about budgeting and finance would have been overwhelming for both the scouts and their parents, she said.

Any parent interested in signing up for the troop can search for nearby Girl Scout troops on the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts website under “Join a Troop.”

“That’s the best part, turning to my kid and saying we have girl scouts tomorrow and she gets so excited,” Overby said. “It seems so simple but it’s a fun way to connect with peers.”

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.