Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-27gpq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T16:49:27.193Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Emergency Preparedness Plans and Perceptions Among a Sample of United States Childcare Providers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2019

Kendall A. Leser*
Affiliation:
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Julie Looper-Coats
Affiliation:
Child Care Aware® of America, Arlington, Virginia
Andrew R. Roszak
Affiliation:
Institute for Childhood Preparedness, Washington, DC
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Kendall A. Leser, Miami University, 106 Phillips Hall, Oxford, Ohio 45056 (e-mail: leserka@miamioh.edu).

Abstract

Objectives

Children are at increased risk for experiencing negative physical and mental health outcomes as a result of disasters. Millions of children spend their days in childcare centers or in residential family childcare settings. The purpose of this study was to describe childcare providers’ perceived levels of preparedness capabilities and to assess differences in levels of perceived preparedness between different types of childcare providers.

Methods

A national convenience sample of childcare center administrators and residential family childcare administrators completed a brief online survey about their preparedness efforts.

Results

Overall, there were few differences in preparedness between childcare centers and residential family childcare providers. However, childcare centers were more likely to report that they had written plans (94.47%) than residential family childcare providers (83.73%) were (χ12=15.62; P<.001). Both types of providers were more likely to report being very prepared/prepared for fires (91.31%) than they were for any other type of emergency (flooding, active shooter, etc.; 45.08% to 79.34%).

Conclusions

Future work should assess how childcare providers respond to and recover from emergencies, as well as explore the types of resources childcare providers need in order to feel comfortable caring for children during such emergency situations. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:704–708)

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

The human cost of natural disasters: a global perspective. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters website. http://emdat.be/human_cost_natdis. Published 2015. Accessed April 13, 2018.Google Scholar
Baker, LR, Cormier, LA. Disasters and Vulnerable Populations. New York: Springer Publishing Company; 2015.Google Scholar
Dziuban, EJ, Peacock, G, Frogel, M. A child’s health is the public’s health: progress and gaps in addressing pediatric needs in public health emergencies. Am J Public Health. 2017;107:S134S137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Comprehensive school safety. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction website. https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/55548. Published March 2014. Accessed April 13, 2018.Google Scholar
Silverman, B, Chen, B, Brener, N, et al. School district crisis preparedness, response and recovery plans—United States, 2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65:949953. doi: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6536a2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laughlin, L. Who’s minding the kids? child care arrangements: spring 2011. United States Census Bureau website. https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p70-135.pdf. Published April 2013. Accessed April 10, 2018.Google Scholar
Cornette, EC, Pui-Ka, So A. Children and disaster planning: the National Commission on Children and Disasters’ findings and recommendations. J Emerg Manag. 2011;9(2)1116. doi: 10.5055/jem.2011.0049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, RB. The child care and development block grant act of 2014: reauthorizing the child care and development fund program. National Conferences of State Legislatures website. http://www.ncsl.org/documents/statefed/CCDBG_Reauth.pdf. Published August 3, 2016. Accessed April 13, 2018.Google Scholar
Parents, is your child care program prepared for a disaster? Child Care Aware of America website. https://usa.childcareaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IsYourChildCareProgramPrepared.pdf. Published 2017. Accessed April 15, 2018.Google Scholar
State Licensing Database. Child Care Aware of America website. http://licensingdatabase.usa.childcareaware.org. Accessed April 15, 2018.Google Scholar