Natural disasters are always devastating for anybody affected, but the trauma really hits home whenever there are children involved. Save The Children's Get Ready Get Safe project focuses on preparing and protecting the children of our communities. The video below showcases a story of rescue & resilience at one Moore, Oklahoma child care center. Child care centers often don't qualify for any official recovery assistance, even though they are vital to children, families, and communities in the wake of disaster.
Champions For Children
This month marks the 1 year anniversary of the Oklahoma tornadoes that took the lives of 48 people, including 19 children. Save The Children has taken this time to salute the champions who have saved the lives of countless children through their advanced-preparedness and quick thinking and are pioneering for better emergency preparedness for children at child care centers and at home. You can view their touching stories here.
Is Your State Prepared?
For 6 years, Save The Children has commissioned a state-by-state assessment of US preparation and safety standards for children in child care facilities and schools. You can find the entire national report by clicking HERE and you can access your state's report card HERE. My state, Pennsylvania, scored unsatisfactory in 1 of 4 categories.
How Can You Prepare?
(click on the images to view full size and printable versions)
How Can You Help?
-You can share the YouTube video at the top of the page on your social media pages to help bring awareness to the project and problems that child care centers face, the direct link to the video can be found HERE
-You can print copies of the disaster checklist for parents & families. Implement a plan for your family and share this checklist with friends, neighbors, and family members. This printable checklist can be found HERE.
- You can print copies of the disaster checklist for childcare professionals and share it with your child's day care center and school, share extra copies with friends and encourage them to do the same. This printable checklist can be found HERE.
-View your state's emergency preparedness report card and share it with everybody you know. Be aware of where your state falls short and encourage change among your community. The state by state report cards can be found HERE.
-You can take the pledge to advocate for children, which can be found HERE.
Word of mouth can do amazing things for our community, become involved and help Save The Children spread awareness and advocate for change!
