Is Child Care Ready?

 Does Your Child Care Program Have a Plan?

For parents with children in child care, knowing what kind of plan is in place, and what to do in case of emergencies, is essential. Make sure you know the what, when, where, and how of your child care provider’s emergency action plan by asking your child care provider these 10 questions:

1. If a disaster hits our area, do you have a written emergency preparedness plan?
2. How will you safely get my child to a safe, predetermined location?
3. How and when will I be notified if a disaster occurs when my child is in child care?
4. If I cannot get to my child during or after a disaster, how will you continue to care for my child?
5. Have you and your staff received training on how to respond to my child’s physical and emotional needs during and after a disaster?
6. What kinds of records on children are kept and made available during a disaster?
7. Will you teach my older child what to do during an emergency?
8. Do you have a disaster kit with enough food, water and other essentials to meet my child’s needs for at least three days?
9. Do the state and local emergency management agencies and responders know about your child care program and where it is located?
10. How may I help you during and after a disaster?

Does Your Child Care Program Have a Disaster Preparedness Plan?

This is an important question for all parents to ask their child care programs. When looking for a child care program, your most important consideration is the safety and well-being of your child.  Our times call for being as prepared as possible and having plans in place for any kind of disaster or emergency.   This is especially critical for programs and schools with young children.

Please click here for a brochure for parents with more information on preparing child care.

For more information just for parents, please click here.

 Parents, Take Action and Help Your Child Care Provider Be Prepard!

 Rely on your CCR&R

For more resources for parents and child care providers on preparing for emergency situations/disasters:

Is Child Care Ready? A Disaster Planning Guide for Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies is a comprehensive guide to help community and state Child Care Resource & Referral agencies prepare to respond to disasters and continue to serve children and families. This user-friendly guide for agencies and programs has forms and handouts for easy reproduction. Available online with other resources at http://www.naccrra.org/disaster

Nurturing Children After Natural Disasters provides basic disaster preparation information, as well as specific guidance on helping children cope with the aftermath of natural disasters. http://www.naccrra.org/parent/coping/disaster.php

Helping Children Cope with Terrorism and War provides information on organizations that offer resources for parents, caregivers, and administrators. http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/cope.html

Family Readiness Kit: Preparing to Handle Disasters (2001), by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), is for parents to use at home to help prepare for most kinds of disasters. www.aap.org/family/frk/frkit.htm

Child Care Resource & Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) are local and state-based organizations that help parents find and pay for child care within their communities. They are located in every state throughout the U.S. CCR&Rs are great resources for parents at any time, with any issue relating to child care. CCR&Rs can help you learn more about disaster preparedness resources in your community. To locate your nearest CCR&R in Ohio, click here.

Outside of Ohio contact Child Care Aware?, on its national toll-free hotline at 1-800-424-2246 or visit www.childcareaware.org 

Child Care Aware? is a program of NACCRRA.

For more information about preparing child care, click here

For more information about Parent Central and other information just for parents, go to www.naccrra.org

Contact us at parentcentral@naccrra.org