Officers in Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet Programs now have a much more convenient option for training, thanks to TLC On Demand — a fully online, self-paced pathway to Training Leaders of Cadets credit.
Available starting June 18, the training requires adult members participating in Cadet Programs to complete 10 online modules, as outlined here:
Participants complete four modules in Youth Development Fundamentals and six modules in Cadet Programs Essentials.
Participants have a choice of what modules they choose in each section.
Participants may receive credit for other Cadet Programs training they complete (restrictions apply), including the Youth Development Conference, National Headquarters’ hosted webinars, Required Staff Training, etc.
Participants must complete 10 modules within 36 months of the first module.
TLC On Demand will be available in Absorb, Civil Air Patrol’s learning management system, accessible through eServices. Once it goes live, participants will be able to find it at this link.
“This has been several years in the making,” said Elizabeth Hornbach, senior program manager for cadet curriculum and learning development.
“We started off with doing a lot of research about what was working with the TLC curriculum, what wasn’t, accessibility, and the like,” Hornbach said. “We also did a full gap analysis against core competencies for adult leaders in out-of-school time youth programs.
“We did interviews with the field, brainstorming focus groups, and now we’re ready to roll it out for the benefit of our Cadet Programs officers.”
The consensus from the study, Hornbach said, was that adult leadership is “the biggest factor affecting success in the cadet mission.”
Adult training programs, such as Training Leaders of Cadets, are the main resource for Cadet Programs officers to gain professional development.
“As we endeavor to strategically position CAP for the future, a goal in the strategic plan is to broaden adult leaders’ capabilities as youth development professionals, equipping them to be champions of positive youth development practices proven effective in other youth organizations,” she said.
Three pathways to earn TLC credit exist, each relevant depending on adult leaders’ duty positions. Each course has an “in-person” classroom component (with some online modules).
Every CAP unit with cadets must have at least two adult members trained with a current credential in at least one of the TLC pathways (a compliance requirement). For the Quality Cadet Unit Award, CAP requires at least three adult leaders to be trained.
Learn more about other TLC courses.
This first round of TLC On Demand significantly adds to this training. It’s designed to address the gaps identified in the recent analysis of the training.
“We prioritized courses that not only support the development of core competencies but also respond directly to the needs expressed by our leaders,” Hornbach said. “Many of the modules are based on speakers from the Youth Development Conference, which Cadet Programs has hosted for the last five years.”
Topics for this first release of new online TLC training include:
Youth Development Fundamentals
Relationships that Build Resilience
QPR Suicide Prevention Certification course
Reflection & Resilience
Who Is Gen Z?
Applying Youth Development Concepts to Encampment Culture
Cadet Programs Essentials
Intentional Planning for Experiential Education — with Adam Russell
eServices for Cadet Programs Officers
O-Flights: A Case Study in Experiential Learning — with Jon Blumenfield
Progressive Discipline
Creating a Youth Development Focused Conference Session
Tour of Cadet Curriculum
RST — Required Staff Training (for cadet activities)
For further information or with questions about TLC On Demand, send inquiries to [email protected].
