STARFLEET, International and STARFLEET Marine Corps are very proactive in supporting family participation, including the children of their members.  In SFMC, the Cadet program has been broken down into four age groups:  youths aged 5-7; youths aged 8-11; youths aged 12-14; and youths aged 15-17.  The reasoning behind this is the capabilities of Cadet members are different between their ages.  This provides the ability to keep things fair for the Cadets, making their experience enjoyable.

• Ages 5 – 7 (Cadet Grade 1): At this age, the cadets are very dependent on others. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as a unit, the cadets at this age, have limited attention spans, like to run around, and cannot do much with out extra supervision. Cadets in this age group should complete PD-100. 
• Ages 8 –11 (Cadet Grade 2): At this age, cadets are not as dependent on others. They still need supervision, but are more independent and can do things on their own. This group loves to be active, run around, and have fun. Keep this group busy, and they will be happy. Cadets in this age group should complete PD-100 and PD-105.
• Ages 12 – 14 (Cadet Grade 3): At this age, cadets are again not as dependent on others, but they begin to try to assert their own  independence, however they still need supervision. Cadets in this group will start to break away from the younger cadets, so special activities for this age group may become necessary. This is a good age to start getting the cadets involved in the running of the MSG. Cadets in this age group should complete PD-100, PD-105, and PD-120.
• Ages 15 – 17 (Cadet Grade 4): These are the cadets that can handle almost any task you give them and while you should never leave any youth alone, this is the age group that doesn’t need you to look over their shoulder every few minutes. Remember these are the cadets that are transitioning to be fully-fledged marines and your Cadet Leaders. Give them the responsibility to go along with that title. Cadets in this age group are required to complete PD-100, PD-105, PD-120, and PD-130 in order to graduate up to full-fledged Marines.  The 15 to 17 year old group in the SFMC Cadet program is a transitional phase and they are considered Cadet Leaders in the program. Even though the SFMC Cadet Program includes youths up to 17 years of age, the SFMC recognizes that not all Chapters or MSGs consider those youths as cadets. Therefore, there are two different progression tracks that may be taken by youths that fall into the 15 to 17 year age group.

For more information, see the STARFLEET Cadet Manual in the Brigade Library.