Toolkit for Integrating Healthy Physical and Mental
Development in Early Learning Guidelines
Health and Safety Topic #12: Emergency Preparedness
Caring for Our Children (CFOC) Standards and Healthy Kids, Healthy Care Links [Tips for Parents]
Selected States' Early Learning Guidelines
State Assessment

CFOC Standard(s):

Emergency Procedures-3.048

When an immediate response is required, the following emergency procedures shall be utilized:
  1. First aid shall be employed, and the emergency medical response team shall be called, as indicated;
  2. The facility shall implement a plan for emergency transportation to a local hospital or health care facility;
  3. The parent or parent's emergency contact person shall be called as soon as practical;
  4. A staff member shall accompany the child to the hospital and will stay with the child until the parent or emergency contact person arrives.
Written Plan for Medical Emergency-3.049

Facilities shall have a written plan for immediate management and rapid access to medical care as appropriate to the situation. This plan shall:
  1. Describe for each child any special emergency procedures that will be used, if required, by the caregiver or by a physician or registered nurse available to the caregiver;
  2. Note any special medical procedures, if required by the child's condition, that will be used or might be required for the child while he/she is in the facility's care, including the possibility of a need for cardiac resuscitation;
  3. Include in a separate format, any information to be given to an emergency responder in the event that one must be called to the facility for the child. This information shall include:
    1. Any special information needed by the emergency responder to respond appropriately to the child's condition;
    2. A listing of the child's health care providers in the event of an emergency.
Response to Fire and Burns-3.052

Children shall be instructed to STOP, DROP, and ROLL when garments catch fire. Children shall be instructed to crawl on the floor under the smoke. Cool water shall be applied to burns immediately. The injury shall be covered with a loose bandage or clean cloth.

Bike Routes-5.241

For facilities providing care for school-age children and permitting bicycling as an activity, the bike routes allowed shall be reviewed and approved in writing by the local police and taught to the children in the facility.

Vehicle Child Restraint Systems-5.236

Age and size appropriate vehicle child restraint systems shall be used for children under 80 pounds and 4 feet 9 inches. Vehicle child restraint systems shall be secured in back seats only. Infants shall ride facing the back of the car until they have reached one year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds. A booster child safety seat shall be used when the child has outgrown a convertible child safety seat but is too small to fit properly in a vehicle safety belt.
All children, who weigh at least 80 pounds are at least 4 feet 9 inches in height, shall wear seatbelts.

Safety Helmets-5.242

All children shall wear approved safety helmets while riding toys with a wheel-base of more than 20 inches in diameter. Approved helmets shall meet the standards of either the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), or the Snell Memorial Foundation.

Written Evacuation Plan-8.024

The facility shall have a written plan for reporting and evacuating in case of fire, flood, tornado, earthquake, hurricane, blizzard, power failure, bomb threat, or other disaster that could create structural damages to the facility or pose health and safety hazards to the children and staff. The facility shall also include procedures for staff training on this emergency plan.

Implementing Evacuation Drills-8.025

Evacuation drills for natural disasters shall be practiced in areas where they occur:
  1. Tornadoes, on a monthly basis in tornado season;
  2. Floods, before the flood season;
  3. Earthquakes, every 6 months;
  4. Hurricanes, annually.


HKHC Link(s):

Emergency Preparedness


STRAND 3: SAFETY
Concept 1: Safety, Injury Prevention
Child demonstrates knowledge of personal safety practices and routines.
Children demonstrate awareness and understanding of personal and environmental safety rules and how to keep themselves safe. These principles should be relevant to Arizona and to the community/region in which the child lives.

d. Demonstrates Emergency Safety Practices
  • Emergency Routines
Examples in the Context of Daily Routines, Activities, and Play:
  • While playing, a child tells a friend to call 911 because the "doll is hurt."
  • Playing fire fighter, a child tells her friend to "Stop, Drop and Roll!"

Program-Focused Example
Alaska's Early Learning Guidelines (p.51)

Domain 1: Physical Health, Well-Being, and Motor Development
Sub-Domain: Safety
Rules and Regulations
Goal: Children demonstrate awareness and understanding of safety rules.
36 to 60 months

Some Indicators for Children:
  • Identifies safety signs posted around the classroom and home
  • Follows emergency drill instruction (e.g., fire, earthquake, tsunami, bomb, lockdown)
  • Follows basic safety rules, with assistance (e.g., bus, bicycle, boats, planes, playground, crossing the street, stranger awareness, using sidewalk, boardwalk, dock)
  • Initiates getting buckled into age- and weight appropriate car safety seat in vehicles
  • Puts on or asks for helmet before riding a bicycle or other wheeled toy
Some Strategies for Caregivers:
  • Discuss safety rules with child (e.g., holding hands in crowds, around small aircraft, wearing a personal flotation device, wearing a bike helmet)
  • Talk with children about fire safety (e.g. "Give matches and lighters to an adult")
  • Provide opportunities for child to practice appropriate emergency drills (e.g., fire, earthquake, bomb)
  • Provide basic safety equipment for all of child's activities
  • Provide opportunities for child to learn and practice water safety
  • Discuss safety rules regarding wilderness and animal safety (e.g. guns, motor craft, matches, propane, and water safety)
  • Model safe practices (e.g. personal flotation, helmets, fire safety)

For references to the state early learning guidelines used see State Early Learning Guidelines Used in Examples

Emergency Preparedness Content:

Content absent

Content to be strengthened

Content approaches CFOC
Action Plan
     


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