Emergency preparedness for child care programs is important because there is a good chance an emergency will happen at some point. In an emergency, child care providers are on the front lines to keep children and staff safe. One tool that is valuable for child care emergency preparedness, response and recovery is partnerships.  

Child care is an essential community service and parents need it to be available to be part of the workforce. Following a disaster, child care programs and the stakeholders who support them must quickly recover to contribute to overall community resilience.  

Emergency response and recovery is more efficient and effective when relationships exist prior to an event (during “blue-sky” periods) to be better able to respond during “grey skies.” This increases the likelihood that trusted partners can be called upon before, during and after a disaster. Child care providers and Child Care Resource and Referral organizations (CCR&Rs) can both benefit from establishing partnerships to support child care emergency preparedness, response and recovery.  

It is important for everyone to understand the key role of child care in community infrastructure. This will help ensure the needs of child care providers are better reflected in coordinated community-wide disaster preparedness and response efforts. As partners are engaged, information about the value of child care can be shared. 

Child care providers and CCR&Rs can provide partners with valuable information such as: 

  • Information about the unique needs of children. Children are especially vulnerable in emergencies and helping them get to safety in emergencies requires extra planning and preparation.  
  • Information about the unique needs of child care providers. Resources and assistance must be inclusive of all child care providers, highlight diversity and equity, and be tailored to the specific needs of child care providers.  
  • Information about challenges experienced by child care programs. Emergency preparedness for child care has many components that may pose a challenge, such as evacuation transportation, securing relocation sites and securing resources.  
  • A voice for child care needs when it comes to emergency planning, response and recovery. Partners can benefit from understanding child care systems. Child care providers and CCR&Rs can offer insight into their needs and strengths.  
  • Information and data about child care programs in the area. CCR&Rs can share information about the types of child care available, location of child care programs, capacity and special populations served, as well as other information that might help emergency preparedness, response and recovery stakeholders understand the child care landscape in the area.  

Read the full article about child care emergency preparedness by Jillian Ritter at ChildCare Aware.