CHILDREN'S AND FAMILY DRY FIRE & SITUATIONAL DAY

Description

Children’s and Family Dry Fire & Situational Awareness is the final course in the Children’s and Family introductory firearm education series. This course is designed to reinforce safe handling, dry-fire fundamentals, situational awareness, and responsible decision-making in a controlled educational environment.

Students will learn:

• Dry-Fire Practice — An introduction to dry-fire tools, preparation, and instructor-led drills designed to reinforce previously learned safety and shooting fundamentals.
• Safe Dry-Fire Preparation — How to establish a safe training environment and verify that firearms and training areas are free of live ammunition before beginning dry-fire activities.
• Situational Awareness — An introduction to recognizing surroundings, identifying potential hazards, and making appropriate safety decisions.
• CODE Process — An age-appropriate introduction to the CODE process as a framework for observing, evaluating, and responding appropriately to situations.
• Color Codes of Awareness — An introduction to the color-code system of awareness and how different levels of attention can help individuals remain aware of their surroundings.
• Family Safety Communication — Developing communication between children and adults to recognize concerns, communicate effectively, and make responsible decisions.

This course serves as the final class in the Children’s and Family introductory series for students under 10 years of age.

Students 10 years of age or older who successfully complete this course will be eligible to participate in the Children’s and Family Range Session, which introduces supervised live-fire range activities.

Completion of this course does not automatically enroll a student in the range session. Participation in the live-fire session requires separate enrollment and compliance with all applicable range requirements, safety procedures, and instructor approval.

The goal of this final course is to ensure that students and their accompanying adults have developed a strong foundation in firearm safety, dry-fire practice, situational awareness, and responsible decision-making before progressing to supervised live-fire training.

Topics Covered

• Dry-Fire Practice — An introduction to dry-fire tools, preparation, and instructor-led drills designed to reinforce previously learned safety and shooting fundamentals.
• Safe Dry-Fire Preparation — How to establish a safe training environment and verify that firearms and training areas are free of live ammunition before beginning dry-fire activities.
• Situational Awareness — An introduction to recognizing surroundings, identifying potential hazards, and making appropriate safety decisions.
• CODE Process — An age-appropriate introduction to the CODE process as a framework for observing, evaluating, and responding appropriately to situations.
• Color Codes of Awareness — An introduction to the color-code system of awareness and how different levels of attention can help individuals remain aware of their surroundings.
• Family Safety Communication — Developing communication between children and adults to recognize concerns, communicate effectively, and make responsible decisions.

Expectations and Outcomes

Upon successful completion of Children’s and Family Dry Fire & Situational Awareness, students should be able to:

• Explain the purpose of dry-fire training and identify appropriate preparation procedures.
• Demonstrate safe dry-fire practices under direct instructor supervision.
• Apply previously learned firearm safety rules during dry-fire exercises.
• Demonstrate proper trigger-finger discipline and muzzle awareness during approved training activities.
• Identify the basic stages of the CODE process and explain how it can support responsible decision-making.
• Recognize the different Color Codes of Awareness and describe how awareness levels relate to their surroundings.
• Identify potential hazards or changes in their environment and communicate concerns to a responsible adult.
• Demonstrate appropriate communication and decision-making during instructor-led situational-awareness exercises.
• Explain the importance of avoiding unnecessary confrontation and seeking assistance from a responsible adult when appropriate.
• Demonstrate readiness to progress to the next level of training, when applicable, based on age, course completion, instructor approval, and range requirements.

Successful completion of this course completes the introductory Children’s and Family training series. Students 10 years of age or older may then be eligible for the Children’s and Family Range Session, subject to separate enrollment and instructor approval.

Types

Basic, USCCA Courses, Youth Available Classes, Youth ONLY Classes

Requirements

1. Required Safety Course: Students must successfully complete Children’s and Family Firearm Safety Basics before participating in this course.

2. Required Familiarization Course: Students must also successfully complete at least one of the following familiarization courses:

   • Children’s and Family Handgun Familiarization

   • Children’s and Family AR Rifle Familiarization

3. Prerequisite Verification: Students must have their required prerequisite courses verified before being approved for enrollment or provided the class password. No exceptions.

4. Minimum Age: Students must be 7 years of age or older to participate.

5. Required Chaperone: Every student must be accompanied by one parent, legal guardian, or designated adult chaperone for the entire course.

6. 1-to-1 Ratio — No Exceptions: The required ratio is 1 student to 1 adult chaperone. One adult may not supervise, accompany, or be responsible for more than one student.

7. Chaperone Fee: The required parent, guardian, or chaperone attends free of charge. Only the student is charged for the course.

8. No Live Ammunition: No live ammunition may be brought into the dry-fire portion of the course. Students will receive specific instructor direction regarding any approved training equipment used during class.

9. Final Course in Series: This course is the final class in the introductory Children’s and Family series for students under 10 years old.

10. Live-Fire Eligibility: Students 10 years of age or older who successfully complete this course may become eligible for the Children’s and Family Range Session, subject to separate enrollment, instructor approval, and all applicable range requirements.