Key Web Sites

ACF Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response (OHSEPR)
/ohsepr/

Resources:

• OHSEPR is the lead office within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that provides leadership in human services preparedness and response while promoting self-sufficiency of individuals, families, and special needs populations prior to, during and after disasters. Helps to promote emergency planning and increase response capacity among States, Tribes and Territories, specifically related to the programs and populations served by ACF.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp

Resources:

• CACFP is a Federal program that provides funds to States and Territories to serve meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. CACFP also provides meals to children residing in emergency shelters, and snacks to youths participating in afterschool care programs. Children who are residents of emergency shelters are automatically eligible for free meals.

Office of Child Care's Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN)
https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/

Resources:

• Through the Office of Child Care's Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) and federal leadership, the Office of Child Care provides training and technical assistance to states, territories, tribes and local communities.

Child Care and Early Education Research Connections
http://www.researchconnections.org/

Resources:

• A research database for child care research reports and data sets, Research Connections offers reports and issue briefs on issues related to early childhood emergency preparedness.

DisasterAssistance.gov
www.disasterassistance.gov/daip_en.portal

Resources:

• DisasterAssistance.gov is a secure, user-friendly U.S. Government web portal that consolidates disaster assistance information in one place. If the President declares a disaster and designates it for individual assistance , you can apply for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov. Currently, 17 U.S. Government agencies, which sponsor almost 60 forms of assistance, contribute to the portal. Local resource information to help keep citizens safe during an emergency is also available.

Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)
https://www.fema.gov/disaster-survivor-assistance-program

Resources

• FEMA offers disaster information, declared disasters, and emergencies; learn about the different types of disasters and hazards; maps; plan/prepare for hazards; protect your family and property; State and community plans; recover and rebuild; what to do after a disaster; emergency outdoor water sources; ways to purify water; how to cook without power. Find a checklist to help prepare now for sudden emergencies.
• FEMA also offers resources for helping children deal with disaster including a publication entitled “Helping Children Cope with Disaster.”

Flu.gov
http://www.flu.gov/

Resources:

• Guidance for the flu season for schools, child care, and early education programs and checklists to assist agencies to develop/improve plans to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic are available at http://www.flu.gov/professional/school/index.html .

Healthy Child Care America
https://healthychildren.org/English/Pages/default.aspx

Resources:

• Healthy Child Care America is a collaborative effort among OCC, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the American Academy of Pediatrics promoting strong partnerships between child care providers and health professionals. The research library features several disaster preparedness links and publications.

National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)
http://www.naccrra.org/public-policy/resources/disaster-plann...

Resources:

• “Is Child Care Ready? A Disaster Planning Guide for Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies”
• “Disaster Preparation: A Training for Child Care Centers”
• “Disaster Preparation: A Training for Family Child Care Providers”

 
National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF), U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ncef.org/

Resources:

• Managed by the National Institute of Building Sciences, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities provides information on planning, designing, funding, building, improving, and maintaining safe, healthy, high performance schools, including emergency and disaster information for schools and child care centers.

 
National Commission on Children and Disasters (NCCD)
http://youth.gov/

Resources:

• Interim Report to Congress makes recommendations and child care emergency preparedness and response.

National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC)https://youth.gov/federal-links/national-emergency-child-locator-center-neclc
https://youth.gov/federal-links/national-emergency-child-locator-cent...

Resources:

• The NECLC becomes operational when a national disaster is declared by the President, to assist in the location of children and the reunification of families resulting from the disaster or subsequent evacuations. In the event of a natural disaster, the NECLC provides many services, including establishing a toll-free hotline to receive reports of displaced children; creating a web site to provide information about displaced children; deploy staff to the location of a declared disaster area to gather information about displaced children; and provide information to the public about additional resources.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education (NRC), Maternal and Child Health Bureau
http://nrckids.org/

Resources:

• NRC's primary mission is to promote health and safety in out-of-home child care settings throughout the nation. One of their resources, “Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, 3rd Edition” is available at http://nrckids.org/CFOC3/index.html . Chapter 9 features guidance on emergency situations in standard 9.2.4 — Emergency/Security Policies and Plans.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Dept. of Health and Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/

Resources:

• ASPR serves as the Secretary's principal advisory staff on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. ASPR also coordinates interagency activities between HHS, other Federal departments, agencies, and offices, and State and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies.
• ASPR also houses the Office of Emergency Management , which is responsible for developing operational plans, analytical products, and training exercises to ensure the preparedness of the Office, the Department, the Federal Government and the public to respond to domestic and international public health and medical threats and emergencies.

Office of Head Start, Department of Health and Human Services
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/browse/keyword/emergency-preparedness

Resources:

• Tip sheets, checklists and resources for Head Start administrators, staff, and families related to the four phases of a disaster: preparation, impact, relief, and recovery.

Ready.gov, Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
www.ready.gov/

Resources:

• The site Provides information on communication with schools, professionals, and child care providers about emergency response plans.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?navtype=MS&navid=SAFETY

Resources:

• USDA provides a variety of educational tools and resources for emergency preparedness and management due to natural or man-made disasters for the safety of food in schools, child care, private homes, and emergency shelters.
• “ Emergency Readiness Plan: A Guide for School Food Service Operations (PDF) ” provides recommendations for developing an emergency readiness plan, assessing the situation when a disruption occurs, and providing a designated relief shelter.
• “Mealtime Memo for Child Care: Are you Ready for an Emergency? (PDF)”

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
https://www.dol.gov/general/disasterrecovery

Resources:

• In the event of natural disasters, DOL supports include income and job assistance as well as key announcements. DOL assists in recovery efforts in the communities affected by floods. For general questions and assistance, the National Contact Center can be reached at 1-866-487-2365. DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration makes available technical assistance and resources to help protect those participating in cleanup and recovery efforts.

U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)
https://www.usfa.fema.gov/

Resources:

• An entity of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, the mission of the USFA is to foster a solid foundation in prevention, preparedness, and response by providing national leadership to local fire and emergency services. A variety of resources for children, parents, and child care providers is available at the link above.