Overview of Child Care Disaster Plan Regulations

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 requires Lead Agencies to develop state and territory child care disaster plans. These plans must demonstrate how each state and territory will address the needs of children—including the need for safe child care­—before, during, and after a major disaster or emergency, including a state of emergency declared by the Governor. You can find the requirements in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule, 45 C.F.R. § 98.45 (c) (2016) at § 98.16(aa).

Note: Tribal CCDF Lead Agencies must also develop a child care disaster plan for their service area.

The requirements can be summarized in this way, the CCDF Lead Agency must

1. Collaborate with identified entities on the development and revisions of the disaster plan
2. Identify how subsidy and health and safety (licensing) child care services will continue in case of a disaster
3. Describe the plan for coordinating how child care will recover after a disaster
4. Put requirements in place for child care providers to develop plans for responding to emergencies and disasters in their settings
5. Ensure that child care providers have access to training on emergency and disaster response and that child care providers train their staff and volunteers and conduct practice drills

CCDF child care disaster plans are often the Lead Agency-level continuation of operations plans sometimes called COOP or the provider-level requirements. While each plays a part in readiness, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic demonstrated the need for specific planning for the comprehensive child care program. 

These graphics may help you understand the parts of the plan and requirements and who is responsible for implementation. See other related graphics here.