Giving Compass' Take:

• Save The Children discusses its newly launched Resilient Children Resilient Communities (RCRC) Toolbox, a set of resources aiming to protect young children in communities from disasters.

• How will this toolbox help strengthen communities in disaster preparedness?  

•  Learn how you can help the victims of the Guatemala Volcano eruption. 

Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, Save the Children has been responding to disasters all across the United States — from small local floods to the most destructive hurricanes and tornadoes in recent history, and everything in between.

Despite the many differences in those storms, we have seen one commonality across communities in every corner of the country: far too often, emergency managers don’t always know where child care programs are located. Our smallest and most vulnerable children are sometimes hiding in plain sight, with early childhood programs in a wide variety of locations, including churches, schools, strip malls, hospitals and downtown office buildings.

This work has culminated in the launch of the Resilient Children Resilient Communities (RCRC) Toolbox, a set of resources designed to help communities plan for and better protect their youngest residents.

One of the tools I’m most excited about helps local emergency managers design a disaster preparedness exercise focused on exploring the unique needs of children during a disaster and the variety of agencies and organizations required to address those needs. Exercises like this are a critical tool for emergency management, as they test plans and procedures and show communities what areas might need more attention.

Read the full article about disaster preparedness by Erin Lauer at Save The Children