Health Promotion and Crisis Planning
Disaster can affect a childcare setting quickly and without warning can threaten the health and safety of a day care facility. Evacuating very young children in hazardous conditions including hurricanes and floods requires careful and thoughtful planning. Teachers should have an emergency plan at all times. to lessen risk as disaster occurs. Disaster planning for children in employer-sponsored daycare centers should be phase-specific because the responses to a disaster change with time. That is, the overall disaster plan should include specific plans for managing the children who are enrolled in childcare when a disaster occurs, as well as specific plans for caring for the children
The owner of a childcare need to develop a childcare disaster plans. Disaster plans for daycare centers are essential, and until such plans are in place and formally integrated with the organization’s overall disaster plan, the children cared for day in and day out are at risk, not only in the event of a major disaster, but also in other types of crises. Develop a plan for employee parents and their children. One major element of a disaster plan is to ensure that childcare center staffs receive important information as soon as possible. Early education and awareness training for employees can provide information and encourage discussions about how the childcare center will protect and care for their children during a disaster. In addition, specific information should be compiled about how to cope in a disaster; such information not only helps mitigate fear (among the caregivers, parents, and children), but also helps caregivers manage their own reactions.
Pre-incident training, planning is critical. Pre-incident preparation such as drills exercises and planning should involve all day care staff to ensure that center procedures are practiced. The roles and responsibilities of day care staff should be crystal clear, and plans should be made to ensure that the families and children of day care center staff are also cared for and safe. Childcare centers should be included in all disaster drills and simulations.
The emergency information forms filled out by parents, including health information:
• The parents work, cell, and home phone numbers: emergency phone numbers of other people listed by the parents in case of an emergency. This shall be posted at each phone.
• The physician’s phone number
• A parental release form to treat the child in case of emergency. Make sure every student information card is currently up-to-date.
• All health records, including immunization
• A master log of injuries that occurred in the early childhood education environment.
An emergency first aid kit shall accompany the teacher and children on any outing:
o 1 micro shield for giving CPR
o Charcoal suspension for poisoning, used only as advised
o I bee sting kit and insect bite relief medication stick
o Hand sanitizer and antibacterial hand soap
o Pads for eye injuries
o Eye wash (saline wash)
o Unbreakable thermometer
o Bottled water
o 2 or 3 large black plastic trash bags
o Duct tape
o First aid guide and CPR instruction card
Emergency information on children, CPR, and first aid kit would be necessary and helpful for caregiver to be prepared and can help things go smoothly and prevent panic in case of an emergency crisis occurs.
Disasters can strike at any moment. Natural catastrophies, health threats and other disasters will continue unabated. There are steps we can take that will go a long way toward making sure that a disaster’s impact on children doesn’t become a disaster in its own right.
• Establish National Disaster Preparedness Standards for Child Care Centers and Schools
• Establish an Office of Children’s Advocacy at FEMA
• To Ensure Child Care Facilities Can Rebuild and Restore Services More Quickly Following a Disaster, Make them Eligible for Federal Disaster Aid
• Establish a White House Commission on the Effects of the Recession on children
• Create a Federal Public Awareness Campaign to Educate Families about protecting Children during Disasters.
• Save the Children’s U.S. Programs runs one of the most Innovative and robust private disaster programs for children in the United States. The teams are on the ground before, during and after major events to ensure the safety and well-being of children in shelters, as well as recovery for the local communities. They also advocate for policy changes at the local, state and federal level.
Quality child care involves not only the child but also a close working relationship between the caregiver and parents. Be sure parents are familiar with the day care emergency plan and procedures.
1.) Develop an evacuation plan.
2.) Develop a plan for shelter at the family day care home, in the event that you cannot evacuate.
3.) Describe the location of the family day care home, ages of children, and when appropriate, any assistants or substitutes working at the facility. Be clear in your descriptions so that they can be shared with fire departments and emergency personnel.
4.) List emergency notification numbers specific to your facility e.g. medical, police, fire, rescue, hospital, civil preparedness, utilities, and parent contact numbers. Always post emergency numbers so they are easily located at the family day care home.
5.) Develop a transportation plan. Who will transport the children and where will they transport the children to? Will parents be called to transport their own children or will the family day care provider transport children? Will personal vehicles or public transportation be needed? (Reminder: loss of power would impact garage door openers).
References
American Red Cross
Articles: Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency: Bureau of Plans. (2003, August). Day care facilities emergency planning guide. Retrieved from http://www.pema.state.pa.us/pema/lib/pema/daycareplanningtoolkit/day_care_facilities_planning_guide.pdf
