Emergency and Disaster Plan Update

4.1 Key emergency safety concepts and guidance

Select each button to learn important terms to help guide planning and actions to keep you, the children, and staff safe.

Written emergency and disaster preparedness plan

A written plan describes the practices and procedures a program will follow to prepare for and respond to emergencies or disasters. Different situations demand different responses so it’s important for a plan to include the procedures for responding to many different emergency situations.

Plans should include actions for various incidents such as acts of violence, biological or chemical threats, exposure to hazardous materials, facility damage, fires, missing children, power outages, and other emergencies. When planning for natural disaster preparedness, consider procedures specific to the program’s location, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, floods, storms, volcanoes, and other extreme weather events. The plan should also address emergencies involving biological, chemical, radiological, nuclear, or explosive agents—whether accidental or intentional (such as terrorism)—as well as disease outbreaks, epidemics, or other infectious disease emergencies.

Questions for reflection and action

What is included in your program’s emergency and disaster preparedness plan?
Who is responsible for developing your program's plan?
Do you know that the Office of Child Care has provided a template to develop your program’s emergency and preparedness plan?

Shelter in place

A “shelter in place” is carried out during severe weather and other environmental hazard/threat situations with the goal of keeping people safe while remaining indoors. Child care and education programs should have children, staff, and visitors take shelter in predetermined rooms with access to a telephone, stored disaster supplies, and, ideally, a bathroom. Facility and classroom doors should all remain shut and locked, depending on the situation.

Questions for reflection and action

Does your program have a safe “shelter in place” identified?
Where is your “shelter in place?”
Have you practiced going to your “shelter in place” during past drills?

Evacuation

An evacuation is the act of moving children and adults out of the building. This would be the appropriate response for a fire in the building. Practicing with staff and children, and posting an evacuation floor plan that includes room names or numbers, exit routes, and emergency doors, helps ensure a quicker and safer evacuation. Use the Emergency Escape Plan resource (PDF) from the Office of Child Care to document your specific escape plan. Evacuation plans should take into account the needs of all the children and staff.

This includes:

Using evacuation cribs for evacuating infants
Meeting the needs specific to caring for children with disabilities, functional need requirements, or other special needs
Taking emergency supplies and records needed:
- First aid kit(s)
- Copies of emergency contact information
- Child medication records
- Individual children's medication, if applicable
Identifying the alternate location to keep staff and children safe and out of danger until the location is determined to be safe by authorized individuals or the children are safely reunited with their families

Questions for reflection and action

How will the program maintain the required staff-to-child ratio and account for all children during an evacuation?
How will the program evacuate children, especially those who cannot walk independently?
What accommodations are required for children with disabilities, ambulatory devices, or other special needs during an evacuation?
Where is the emergency kit and other important information for families and staff?
Is important information for families and staff in both digital/electronic and print formats? How do you accommodate families who speak another language?

Lockdown

A lockdown occurs when there is a perceived threat/danger inside the building. A lockdown requires securing all children and staff within a room by locking the doors, directing people to hide or stay away from windows and doors and asking people to remain calm and quiet. No children or staff members should be in the hallways during a lockdown. The plan should include protocols on when to unlock/open doors and should be developed in collaboration with local law enforcement officials.

Questions for reflection and action

How will doors and windows be secured to prevent access, if needed?
Where will children stay safely inside the program?
How will staff ensure that the children are safe and supervised during a lockdown?
How would you communicate with parents about lockdown situations?
What should parents do during a lockdown response?

Communication

Clear and consistent communication is necessary to effectively carry out a preparedness plan, reduce confusion, and ensure a safe, coordinated response during emergencies. Communication with children should be tailored to their age and developmental level to help them follow directions, cooperate with safety efforts, and build resilience. Staff should be trained on how to sound alarms and call 911 to support early communication and response. The emergency plan should also include clear steps for keeping parents and guardians informed throughout the response.

Maintain open lines of communication with parents and caregivers to ensure they are informed about the situation and any changes in their child’s care. Develop a system to send text or email updates to parents during an emergency and establish a designated point of contact for emergency communication.

It’s important to communicate your program’s emergency and disaster preparedness plan to families before an emergency occurs. Families must understand communication procedures, the assigned staff who will be contacting them, evacuation locations and emergency contacts.

Questions for reflection and action

How will you communicate with parents and guardians during an evacuation?
What are the communication procedures during shelter-in-place or a lockdown response?
How will you send an “all clear” message?

Reunification

The process of safely returning children to their families or designated guardians following an emergency is often overlooked. Planning ahead for reunification not only helps to reduce stress and confusion but also ensures that children are safely and efficiently reunited with their families during and after an emergency. A clear and simple plan to safely return the children to their families must be included in your emergency preparedness plan.

The following information should be shared with families to support a faster and smoother reunification process:

The alternate evacuation or shelter-in-place locations
Who will contact parents/guardians before, during, and after an emergency
How parents/guardians will be contacted (e.g., text, email, phone call)
Procedures if a child needs to be transported for medical care (e.g., who will accompany the child, where they will go)
Emergency drills

Emergency drills

The programs must practice and record emergency drills with staff and children. The drills must be conducted with a variety of staff and children at different times of the day. Fire and evacuation drills must be conducted once each calendar month and emergency/disaster drills must be completed every six months (2 times per year). Disaster Drill types include: Shelter in Place (Lockdown), Short Distance Evacuation (walking distance), and Long Distance Evacuation (transport). Drills must be documented on the Office of Child Care form, [1262] Fire and Disaster Drill Log (PDF).

Accommodations for infants, toddlers and children with special health care needs and disabilities

Young children and children with special health care needs and disabilities require additional support and care when handling emergencies. Including all children during practice drills is the best way to understand and meet their unique needs during emergencies including evacuation, shelter in place and medication administration. Learn more about accommodations for this vulnerable population in an upcoming section.

Emergency and disaster preparedness kit

Effective planning and preparation also include gathering, maintaining, and ensuring easy access to the equipment, supplies, and materials needed during an emergency. These supplies should include essential items for caring for children, resources needed by staff or family members, and tools providers use to communicate with parents and other contacts. Get guidance on items required by the Office of Child Care in First Aid Supply List (PDF).

Basic items in the emergency and disaster preparedness kit include a three-day supply of food, water, and life-sustaining emergency medications for the children in need of medication. Some types of emergencies may require longer term care of the children, perhaps overnight care. Preparing for this possibility will include ensuring supplies for the child’s needs, including hygiene, nutrition, and comfort. Talk to families in advance to properly prepare and get the appropriate permissions to care for a child overnight.

Continuity of operation and resumption

Regardless of the type of emergency or planned response, the program must have a plan in place to continue or resume child care services as soon as it’s safe to do so. This helps reduce the impact on the children, families, and the business. A well-developed response plan–clear and timely communication with families and child care licensing offices, and collaboration with community agencies like law enforcement, public health, and local government–allows programs to reassess the situation to determine when it’s safe to resume child care services.