Protecting Children in Disasters

On 18 April 2017, DomPrep hosted a podcast recording with a panel of subject matter experts to discuss the topic of children in disasters. The discussion was moderated by Andrew Roszak, senior director for emergency preparedness at Child Care Aware® of America. This 40-minute discussion addressed the following key topics: Planning for children to help increase community resilience The importance of addressing the needs of younger children (0-5) that are not yet in school in emergency planning and response Unique approaches to involve child care providers in emergency planning Child care to help parents, businesses and community-wide recovery after a disaster Ways in which child care resource and referral agencies are poised to assist communities with preparedness, response, and recovery efforts Reasons for public health agencies to prioritize children and child care The benefits of bringing together child care providers and local emergency managers The value of the federal Child Care Development Block Grant as it relates to families with young children The importance of pending legislation that would put more of a focus on children at FEMA and at DHS Ways healthcare coalitions and other existing groups can be leveraged to enhance preparation for children in disasters