Emergency Preparedness

American Academy of Pediatrics

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of over 60,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

• Preparedness for Children and Youth with Special Needs
  • Pediatricians can help improve preparedness by being strategic in the way they communicate with others about children at risk.
• Disaster Preparedness for Child Care Providers
  • Lists resources that will be helpful for early education and child care providers, child care health consultants, pediatricians, and others working to strengthen disaster preparedness in child care programs.
• Pediatric Preparedness Resource Kit
  • This resource allows for pediatricians, public health leaders and other pediatric care providers to assess what is already happening in their community or state, and help determine what needs to be done before an emergency or disaster. The kit will promote collaborative discussions and decision making about pediatric preparedness planning.
• Vaccine Storage in an Emergency
  • Proper storage and handling is essential to effective administration of vaccines. Use the following resources to make sure that the cold chain is not broken and that your vaccines remain viable both in every day use and in the event of a disaster.
• The Youngest Victims: Disaster Preparedness to Meet Children\'s Needs,
  • This document is an appendix to the Pediatric Preparedness Resource Kit. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council has identified a variety of guiding principles or key messages to use to guide decision-making and support the implementation of new public policy, effective community/state planning, and appropriate education and training.

Child Care Aware of America

• Child Care Aware of America works with more than 600 state and local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to ensure that families in every local community have access to quality, affordable child care. Crisis and Disaster Resources

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute

• Multihazard Planning for Childcare Online Course (Course Number: IS-36)
  • This course covers the steps to help childcare providers prepare for incidents to ensure the safety of the children at their site. Childcare providers must have plans and procedures to keep children safe from everyday hazards and to respond and recover when an emergency happens. The goal of this course is to provide childcare providers, of all sizes and with responsibility for children of all ages, with the knowledge and tools to analyze the hazards and threats at the site, to develop a plan to address these hazards and threats, and to implement processes to update and practice the emergency plan.
• Sample Childcare Emergency Action Plan
• Sample Childcare Emergency Operation Plan

Sesame Street

• Sesame Street provides resources for families with young children.
• Emergencies
  • Hurricanes, storms, and other natural disasters can be difficult for young children who may not fully understand what's going on around them. These tips, activities, and videos can help them feel safe, cope with emotions, and understand that there is hope for the future.
• Let's Get Ready! Planning Together for Emergencies
  • This preparedness toolkit for parents provides tips, activities, and other easy tools to help families prepare for emergencies.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

• SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
• Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series (DBHIS) Resource Collections
  • Children and Youth
  • Disaster-Specific Resources
    • Drought
    • Flood
    • Mass Violence
    • Influenza
    • Tornado
    • Wildfire

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child Care

• The Office of Child Care promotes children's learning by improving the quality of early care and education and afterschool programs.
• Child Care Resources for Disasters and Emergencies
• Emergency Preparedness Resources for Child Care Programs

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Office of Head Start

• Head Start Emergency Preparedness Manual:
• This manual begins by explaining that Head Start plays an important role in supporting children and families in their local communities before, during, and after an emergency and then provides Head Start programs with the latest tools and resources to guide their emergency preparedness planning process.
• Webinar - Introducing the Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs: View this webinar to learn about the Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs. Use this tool to help programs develop emergency plans to keep children, families, and staff safe if disaster strikes.