The "Big Four" Cadet Unit Priorities were designed to help units leaders build and evaluate their unit's cadet program foundations.
It's especially intended for new leaders who are wondering "where do I even start!?"
Civil Air Patrol has a huge number of resources, regulations, optional programs, and best practices to follow. The challenge faced by leaders of unit cadet programs, then, is defining what the foundation of the Cadet Program consists of, so that new leaders can be sure they're starting in the right place, and established leaders can self-check to ensure their foundation hasn't fallen into disrepair in the course of leadership turnover and the steady flow of new projects and activities.
When to Use These Resources
These priorities are meant to be universal: they aren't specific to cadet or senior leaders, and they're applicable to units large, small, established, new, and rebuilding. One constant in cadet units is turnover of leadership. The program is designed so that a top cadet at a unit shouldn't hold their top leadership job for more than a year. By definition, about 1/3 of unit commanders are new each year, and deputy commanders for cadets are often fairly new in the program compared to the size of their responsibility. Because of the universality of these priorities, the best practice is to run through them and give your unit an honest health check whenever one of these key leaders of cadets is new. Even established units who take a hard look at these priorities can find new efficiencies at the core of their programs. If nothing else, the key leaders will be aligned on the keys to success.
Ease of Use: Go In Order
This tool is designed for units of all levels of resource to be able to successfully use. We strongly recommend going in order as you shore up these aspects of your program. The priorities don't go in order of importance, but in the order that makes each the easiest to tackle.
A unit that is building from scratch can use this as a guide to build a solid foundation to operate on in as little as a month or two!
A unit that is well-established and following the best practices laid out here can bring key leaders together and finish their evaluation in only a couple of weeks.
The "Big Four" Priorities
1st - STRUCTURE
⃝ Cadet Leaders
Assigned
Cadet leaders
assigned in eServices
Cadet leaders given job descriptions and expectations.
⃝ Grade Appropriate
Assignments
Cadet duty
assignments and work are grade-appropriate.
⃝ Structure is Size
Matched
Cadet structure
and scope are appropriate to unit size and composition.
Cadet structure
published and current. All cadets should be able to see their local chain of
command.
2nd - SCHEDULE
⃝ Unit Training Plan
Published
Longer-Range
Training Plan of Meeting Topics Published (at least 1 quarter out, published
online).
Minimum
Contact Hours met in squadron training plan.
Meetings are interactive and
engaging.
⃝ Weekly Meeting
Schedules Published
Detailed meeting plan published 1 week in
advance. Available to all members and parents.
3rd - PROMOTIONS
⃝ Promotions Plan
Published
Cadet promotion
procedures established and published, including which advancements feedback meetings are held for.
Units not adding promotion requirements or roadblocks.
Leaders systematically check and encourage cadets' promotion progress.
⃝ Feedback Meetings
Conducted Properly
Feedback meetings (formerly called "promotion
boards") held at-least once per phase.
Promotion policies conform to
R60-1.
F60-90 Series instructions are followed.
WAWG CP Recommends a feedback
meeting for every advance in grade, beginning at promotion to C/SSgt.
⃝ Meeting Rhythm
Established
Monthly "rhythm" for promotion-essential
meeting events established. (Predictable times/procedures for feedback
meetings, ceremonies, drill testing, CPFT, etc.)
4th - RECRUITING
⃝ Annual Open House
Events Scheduled
Open
House(s) Scheduled for School Year.
Event(s) published on website/social media.
Event(s) advertised (Ads, Radio, School Posters, flyers, etc.).
WAWG CP
recommends at least 3 open houses per school year.
⃝ Mentors Assigned
to Recruits
Recruits
assigned a mentor (one mentor may be assigned several recruits, i.e., a Recruit
Flight Sergeant).
⃝ 60 Day Recruit
Training Pipeline
Cadet/Parent
orientation complete within 60 days.
Pipeline/cohort style introductory
training is strongly recommended.
What's Next?
Once your unit is following all of these best practices, you've mastered the "crawl" and "walk" of cadet programs, and it's time to try to "run."
When your core is set up to be fairly self-sustaining, you can start focusing on the exciting, optional projects that cadets love most about the cadet program: flying, overnight activities, tours & career exploration, cadet competition, rocketry, model aircraft, emergency services. The sky isn't even a limit here!
The important thing is to get your foundation set before you get distracted by fun. Ultimately, you'll have much more fun this way.
