The Emergency Plan

POLICY:  The childcare program will have a contingency plan in the event of an emergency, disaster, or mass casualty event.

PURPOSE: To assure the safety of our children in ALL situations.

To enable staff to handle emergencies which may arise. 

 To protect the health and safety of each child and staff member.

To satisfy Licensing requirements and Health and Safety Code 

Regulations.

PROCEDURE:

1. An Emergency Plan must be developed. It is strongly recommended to obtain input from staff, parents, and community leaders.
2. Use LIC 610 form for child care centers, or 610A for family child care homes.
3. The Director is responsible for updating, validating, testing, and administering the Plan, and for ensuring staff are trained on their responsibilities.
4. The Plan will be updated at least annually. Any changes in the key staff listed in the Plan will be updated immediately. 
5. A copy of the Plan will be:
   1. Submitted to Licensing.
   2. Posted in each classroom with an evacuation route map specific to that area. It should be posted in a prominent location, ideally next to a telephone. 
   3. Posted in the main office.
   4. Be placed in the disaster kit.
6. There will be a disaster kit centrally and safely stored that contains the supplies necessary to care for the children during the length of the emergency.
7. Newly hired staff, or staff reassigned to new roles, will be trained on the Plan and their responsibilities during emergencies within 1 week of hire. 
8. The Plan will be tested at minimum 2 times per year, but more frequent drills are highly recommended. The type of drill will alternate i.e., fire drill, earthquake drill, etc. 
9. Required skills will be taught to and practiced with all the staff and children. 
10. The facility will have regular safety inspections. 
11. Identify hazards in your community. The minimum requirement is to have a Plan for fires, floods, and earthquakes. As a best practice, it is also recommended to have a Disaster Plan for:

• Extreme weather (hot and cold)
• Tsunamis
• Power Outages
• Medical Emergencies
• Hazardous Materials Incident 
• Bomb Threat
• Violence, guns, active shooter inside the childcare facility
• Violence, guns, active shooter right outside of the childcare facility
• Disgruntled or impaired adult
• Civil unrest in the area
• Terrorism
• Pandemics / Epidemics 

For a Step-by-Step Guide to developing a Disaster Plan for Child Care Centers, see:

https://cchp.ucsf.edu/sites/g/files/tkssra181/f/Step-by-Step-Guide-Emergency-Disaster.pdf

And additional information and resources can be found at: https://cchp.ucsf.edu/resources/disaster-preparedness