CCR&R Safety First Newsletter

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Emergencies

Stories, Strategies and Safety

Spring in Iowa is beautiful but can also bring dangerous weather and emergencies. That's why it's important to review your emergency plan now!

Set aside time to review your current plan with your staff and involve parents in this important discussion. Getting their input and making sure they know the plan can help everyone respond well if something unexpected happens. Talk to your staff and parents about your emergency plan. Practice what to do in case of a fire or tornado, and do drills for other emergencies, too. This way, everyone can understand what to do and expect, and you can test how well you can all communicate.

Remember, Section 7 of the Emergency Preparedness Template for Child Care Centers provides a helpful list of things to consider when completing drills and scoring your readiness.

Child Resource and Referral (CCR&R) and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offer helpful resources for preparing for unpredictable events and giving you the skills to handle emergencies.

You can easily find our training materials easily using this link!

If you need help with your emergency plan documents, your Child Care Consultants are just an email or phone call away. Find a consultant near you using this link!

Thank you for caring about the safety and readiness of the children in your care. Together, we will be better prepared for whatever emergencies come our way!

Best Regards,

CCR&R Emergency Preparedness Team

Safety Preparedness in Action

Anonymous Submission

Northeast Iowa

Protocols in Practice

In a recent conversation with one of our Child Care Consultants, a seasoned Center director shared a firsthand account of one remarkable incident that underscores the critical importance of preparedness and decisive action in unexpected situations. Reflecting on the event, the director recounted -

"A staff came to me, alerting me that a child had not gotten off the bus. I had been reworking our policies for Iowa Quality for Kids (IQ4K®), and it just so happened that the missing child policy was one that was fresh in my mind and the minds of the staff."

The director continued, "I immediately called the parent to see if they had perhaps picked the child up from school without informing me. The parent assured me that the child should have been on the bus. At the same time, I got a call on another line that a child was walking along the highway, and the caller recognized the child as one of ours. The caller informed me that they had notified the police. I informed the parent of what was going on in the interim " she continued.

"It turned out that the child had gotten off one bus to transfer to another bus that would bring them to the campus and slipped away from those watching the transfer, deciding they preferred to walk home," the director explained.

The director expressed, "I was super impressed with the way staff notified me immediately and we handled the situation quickly and effectively, knowing all the steps we needed to take. Although the child was not in count yet, and not officially under the school's watch, I informed our HHS worker what had transpired the next day."

Admitting occasional skepticism towards the necessity of extensive policies, the director reflected, "I admit there are times when I wonder why we need so many policies and why they need to be so detailed, but, in this case, it was nice to know our plan and be able to keep calm and handle things efficiently."

The director concluded, "Had I not gotten the call from the passer informing me of seeing the child, my next call after the parents would have been to local law enforcement, as outlined in our Emergency Preparedness plan. Having a plan helped us react quickly and calmly, reaffirming our ability to care for all of our children safely in any situation." This incident is a powerful reminder of the value of thorough planning and swift, practiced responses in ensuring the safety and well-being of the children in your care.

If you want to share your Emergency Story, connect with a CCR&R Child Care Consultant today!

In Recent News

Annual Notification to Providers

Emergency plans are critical to your child care business to prepare, respond and recover from an emergency or disaster.

Just like your requirement to have a child care emergency plan, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must also have a child care emergency and response plan. When a significant disaster happens, part of the state-level plan is to work with Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) to get information from child care businesses and determine the disaster’s impact on the community’s child care infrastructure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) identifies “child care” as an ‘essential service’ for disaster recovery.

When there is an emergency or disaster in a community or county, CCR&R may send you an email with a link to a survey to find out if there is damage to your child care business. The survey will take you approximately 3-5 minutes to complete. The information you provide helps us evaluate the impact of the disaster on child care and if resources are needed to restore child care services in the community. You can also contact your CCR&R consultant or CCR&R agency to let us know if your business has sustained damages or if your business is operational and has child care spaces available to children that cannot receive care from their current child care provider.

In an emergency or disaster, we all need to work together because the child care services you provide are important to both families and the community.

Click here to learn more about Iowa’s Statewide Child Care Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan.

Alert Iowa Statewide Messaging System

Alert Iowa is the state of Iowa’s official emergency notification system.

Through Alert Iowa, state and local officials can utilize a single, statewide notification system that provides local control of how and when to disseminate emergency and public safety messages to residents.

Learn if your county is participating and sign up now to receive free alerts via text message, email and/or voice message.

Add your address to receive geo-targeted alerts.
Indicate what alerts you want to receive, including weather, traffic, emergency and more.
Indicate how you want to be notified by text, email and/or voice message.

Citizens can sign up using three different processes:

Create a profile through your county’s website opt-in page.
Download the Smart911 app and create a customized profile.
Send a text message to opt-in.

Emergency Resources for Your Program

As of October 1, 2016, Iowa law requires all child care providers to have a written emergency plan in place.

Emergency plans must include procedures for:

Evacuation and relocation
Sheltering-in-place
Lockdown
Addressing the individual needs of children, including those with functional or access needs
Communication and reunification with parents and other approved individuals
Continuity of operations

There are templates and tools available for child care providers to help meet your program's needs. You are not required to use any of the templates and tools offered, although the tools and templates will help you meet requirements in Iowa law.

Templates can be found here >>

Emergency Preparedness for Child Care Programs

This 6-hour course, offered by CCR&R, is designed to help all child care providers be prepared for handling emergency situations that may affect their program and community.

During an emergency situation, it is important to know how to support the emotional needs of children and caregivers in your program and be aware of resources available to support child care emergency preparedness.

This training will:

Equip you with the knowledge to be prepared and recover from these emergencies.

Provide the necessary tools and information to create an emergency plan for your program that will meet Iowa law requirements.

Reunifying children with their families:

Family communication plan

Share this link with families in your program.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The reunification system is a 24-hour hotline.

1-800-THE-LOST

(1-800-843-5678)

TTY 1-800-826-7653

The Unaccompanied Minors Registry (UMR)

A tool for reporting children who have been separated from their parents or legal guardians as a result of a disaster.

The National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC)

Activated immediately after a Presidentially declared disaster. 1-866-908-9572

Other Resources:

American Red Cross -

Emergency Preparedness Tips from the Red Cross.

Child Care Aware

Child Care Aware of America is here to help you prepare for and respond when emergencies arise.

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-

Coordinates the federal response to disasters that receive a Presidential disaster declaration.

H elp After a Disaster

Iowa Community Action Association (ICAA)

Technical assistance for a number of programs administered directly by local Community Action Agencies.

A few suggestions to keep in mind as you develop the emergency plan for your program:

Keep your plan simple so you and your staff can remember the important steps to do when an emergency happens.
Keep your plan in a place where it is available to reference.
Train on and practice your plan so everyone knows what needs to be done. You and your staff's actions should be instinctive and decisive.
Update your plan at least annually. Make necessary changes after conducting drills or an actual event.

Assemble your Own Emergency Supply Kits.

CCR&R has created both a short-term and long-term supply checklist to help get you started in assembling your own Emergency Supply Kit. Check it out under “optional forms” at

www.iowaccrr.org/training/EP

Need Help Obtaining Emergency Supplies?

While it is expected that child care businesses obtain their own emergency supplies, if you are having difficulty gathering any items, please reach out to a Child Care Consultants for assistance: www.iowaccrr.org/staff

Welcome to Emergency Preparedness Planning Video Series!

This video reviews what the child injury/incident report is and how to use it.

Child Injury/Incident Report Form .pdf

This video reviews the child release form and how to use it.

Child Release Form .pdf

This video reviews the Damage Assessment Form and how to use it.

Damage Assessment Form .pdf

This video reviews the bomb threat form and how to use it.

Bomb Threat Information .pdf

This video reviews the child enrollment information form and how to use it.

Child Enrollment Information .pdf

This video reviews the Child ID form and how to use it.

Child Identification Card .pdf

Closing Thoughts - take action today and be ready for tomorrow!

Don’t be caught in a spring storm without a completed emergency plan!

Remember, a well-prepared emergency plan can be a lifesaver during a crisis. By taking some time out of your day and creating a current plan, you can save time, avoid confusion, and potentially save lives. Planning today provides a safer tomorrow. So, go ahead and enjoy the beautiful spring weather in Iowa, knowing that you have taken the necessary steps to be prepared.

Thank you for valuing the safety of all

the children in your program, you're doing a great job!

Text Communication Option

CCR&R will send text notices about EP plans, practice drill reminders, disaster declarations and more.

To join, text: IowaEP

to 59925

Funding provided by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services through the Child Care Development Fund