Emergency Preparedness for Child Care

© 2011 NACCRRA

www.naccrra.org

The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies

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Welcome

• Outcomes and Objectives

• Agenda

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History

• During Katrina/Rita assisted CCR&Rs in area

• Published Nurturing After Natural Disasters

• Convened individuals involved in different ways and prepared guidebook for CCR&Rs, Is Child Care Ready?, and booklet for families, What’s the Plan?

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What Is At Stake ?

• Nearly 12 million children under age 5 in child care every day

• 2.3 million child care workers essentially untrained

• Approximately half of all children in license-exempt or unlicensed care

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What Is At Stake ?

• Nearly 60% of parents physically separated from their children

• Few states require child care disaster planning beyond fire; see SAVE study

• Emergency planners may not think about child care but this is improving

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Overview of National Standards

• Developing an Emergency Plan• Evacuating, Taking Shelter or Locking Down• Communicating with Families• Communication Equipment and

Emergency Kits • Training Staff and Volunteers• Maintaining Required Information• Protecting Individuals with Special Needs and

Medical Conditions• Protecting Program Assets  

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Recommended Areas for Training

• Developing an Emergency Plan• Evacuating, Taking Shelter & Locking Down• Communicating with Families, Children and

Helpers• Maintaining Required Equipment, Supplies

and Information• Training Staff & Volunteers and Involving

Parents• Developing & Implementing a Program

Sustainment Plan

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Is Your Child Care Program Ready?

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Why Is It Important to Prepare for Emergencies?

• Emergencies or disasters can occur at any moment

• In the last decade the United States has experienced an unprecedented number of disasters

• When emergencies or disasters occur children, as well as those caring for them, can be injured or killed

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Get-Acquainted Activity• Find a couple of partners (no more than 3

in a group).– Introduce yourself, – where you work, – age of children you care for and – what you felt when you heard about the

Sandy Hook disaster.

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What Types of Emergencies Must Child Care Programs Be Prepared For?

• Programs must be prepared for all types of disasters including natural, technological and attacks.

• Some types of disasters can occur in any area but some locations and programs are more vulnerable to some types.

• Child care programs must be prepared to care for children up to 72 hours when one of the types of emergencies occurs

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Incident Command System

• Group Discussion– What is it?– Who is involved?– How to communicate?– How does it all work?– What can you do?

• On-line training• Be Aware…volunteer• Practice with your children…DOCUMENT• Emergency Preparedness Plans…How effective?

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Take a Break

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Why is an Emergency Plan Necessary?

• Having a plan increases the likelihood that the outcome for a disaster will be more favorable

• Developing a plan helps us think about all that needs to be done to prepare

• Many different individuals are involved in operating a child care program; having a plan helps everyone know their responsibilities

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ActivityDiscussion Question

• Response Action Drills Activity

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Thanks for coming!!

Be Prepared and Be Safe!!

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