2017 Spring Kansas Child

the past 10 years than in the 50 years prior.
and Preparation
emergency plan addresses these issues.
It is helpful to think about plans in three distinct categories:
preparedness, response and recovery. These make up phases of an
emergency, each building off the other. The better you prepare for
each phase, the better your overall outcome.
It is helpful to think about plans in three distinct
categories: preparedness, response and recovery. These
make up phases of an emergency, each building off the
other. The better you prepare for each phase, the better
your overall outcome.
In the preparedness phase, begin by creating a plan, discussing
the plan, updating the plan and communicating the plan.
Likewise, if you know severe weather is coming, take proactive
actions to prepare. Having parents pack extra clothing for
the children, canceling outside activities and stocking up on
batteries, food and other supplies are actions that fall under the
preparedness domain. Creating an emergency preparedness kit is
another important step in disaster preparedness.
Responding to a disaster involves putting your plan into action.
A great way to test your response is to conduct drills. Drills
allow you to test plans and identify any gaps. It is much easier
to discover that your plan will not work during a drill, rather
than discovering the problem in the middle of a disaster. One
simple activity to practice is a fire drill. But there are several other
opportunities to practice a plan, some which occur every day. For
example, each day children are dropped off and picked up from
child care programs—a perfect time to practice a reunification
plan and update emergency contact information. Much like other
professionals rehearse lines, scripts, music or practice sports
plays, you should rehearse emergency plans. Practicing and being
familiar with your response will result in being more confident
and less stressed.
For both the mental health of a child and for the financial
stability of our communities, ensuring the continued operation of
high-quality family child care programs is essential. Recovering
from a disaster is not an easy task, however with strong
preparation and practiced response, recovery can be easier.
Making sure that child care providers recover from disaster is
essential, especially in western Kansas, where 27 counties have
only one child care program. A loss of the program serving that
county would be disastrous for children, families and businesses.
Unfortunately, many businesses do not take the time to plan for
emergencies. According to the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), more than 40% of businesses never reopen
after a disaster. While this is problematic for many sectors, it is
most devastating on the child care industry—with significant
ripple effects on children and families. Simply put, if child care
programs are closed, parents cannot return to work and recovery
cannot begin.
Family child care operators face special challenges in recovering
from a disaster as they can lose both their business and their
home. Adding to the problem is that the average income for a
child care provider in Kansas is $20,050, which often disqualifies
them for disaster loans from the Small Business Administration.
As private businesses, as opposed to nonprofit organizations, they
are also ineligible for disaster assistance from FEMA.
Beyond the effect on child care providers, a disaster can
have serious developmental and emotional effects on children.
Unfamiliar routines, unusual eating patterns, and removal from
familiar surroundings can all exacerbate the effect. Studies have
found that children affected by large disasters are five times as
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