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Children and Disasters

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With over 11 million children under the age of 5 in some kind of child care setting every week, it is critical that child care providers, parents of children in child care, and emergency planners at all levels, work together to ensure that child care settings are prepared in the event of a disaster

NACCRRA is proud to work with partners on these nationwide efforts:

• Train providers and inform parents, and partner with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that child care providers have a plan
• Raise awareness and promote effective policies to ensure that children are safe before, during, and after a disaster and that child care is considered in each community as part of rebuilding efforts after a disaster has occurred

Disaster Policy Recommendations for National, State, and Local policymakers:

• Keeping Children Safe: A Policy Agenda for Child Care in Emergencies
  In November 2007, NACCRRA brought together 22 agencies and organizations in New Orleans, Louisiana, to plan a nationwide campaign to ensure that child care is no longer an afterthought in a time of crisis. The collective experience and knowledge of participants led to a series of federal, state, and local recommendations included in the Keeping Children Safe report, which also explains many complicated child care and disaster terms and regulations.
  • Keeping Children Safe is also available for purchase.

Disaster Planning Materials for CCR&Rs and Child Care Providers

• Is Child Care Ready?: A Disaster-Planning Guide for Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
  This guide is a practical toolkit for Child Care Resource & Referral agencies to help child care programs - both in child care centers and providers' homes - keep children safe and their businesses open during and after natural disasters, terrorist attacks, chemical emergencies, and other catastrophes.
  • Download (15.1 MB)
  • Purchase a hard copy
• Disaster Preparation: A Training for Child Care Centers
  A supplement to Is Child Care Ready?, this guide is designed to assist CCR&Rs and others in training child care centers on disaster preparedness. It includes specific activities for training individuals who direct and work in child care centers.
  • Download (1.5 MB)
  • Purchase a hard copy
• Disaster Preparation: A Training for Family Child Care Providers
  A second supplement to Is Child Care Ready?, this guide is intended to assist CCR&Rs and others in training family child care providers on disaster preparedness. It includes activities for training individuals who care for children in their homes.
  • Download (1.8 MB)
  • Purchase a hard copy
• Emergency Planning Forms
  Excerpted from Is Child Care Ready?, the following user-friendly forms offer templates for child care providers and others to use to fully prepare for disasters.
  • Download Forms (298 KB)
• Find Your Local CCR&R
  If you're a provider, contact your local CCR&R to learn if they will be offering trainings on disaster planning, or for additional resources to prepare your program.
  • http://www.childcareaware.org/en/tools/child_care_finder/

Resources for Families

• What's the Plan?: Ask Your Child Care Provider Before A Disaster
  One of the most important questions for all parents to consider and ask their child care program is, "What kind of emergency preparedness plan do you have in place?" To help parents ensure the safety and well-being of their children, this colorful brochure walks them through 10 questions they should ask about the what, when, where, and how of their provider's disaster plan.
  • Download (2.3 MB)
  • Purchase a hard copy
• Helping Children and Families Cope with Traumatic Events
• Preparing for Disaster - The Parent View
• NACCRRA's For Parents section

For the media

• Disaster Planning Meeting Press Release (119 KB)
• Is Child Care Ready? Press Release (40 KB)
• Is Child Care Ready? backgrounder (91 KB)

National Commission on Children and Disasters

Over a period of two years, the Commission will examine and assess the needs of children independently, and in relation to the preparation, response and recovery from all emergencies, hazards and disasters. NACCRRA has been very involved in the creation of this Commission, a subcommittee of the Commission examining how child care needs to be involved before, during, and after disasters, and national coalitions to have a unified children’s voice for the national Commission to call upon.

If you have any questions about this work or the Commission, please contact Rhonda Everdyke, State and Local Policy Associate at rhonda.everdyke@naccrra.org or 703-341-4108.