Response
While each disaster is different, it is possible to plan a response for any disaster. By conducting an after-action assessment of the most recent disaster or emergency, you can know what worked and what needs improvement. Remember to focus on what worked and building on the strengths that emerged—for example, “Providers knew how to contact us because our licensing staff and Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) contractors provided the phone number when they visited, and we used social media to get the number out following the disaster.”
Many policies were revised in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As these policies expire or are amended, can the policy language and processes, forms, communication, and so on, be saved for future reference?
Statewide child care disaster plans should include options that Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies and their contractors and partners may put into effect in response to an emergency. These options could include considerations in response to the following:
- How will the CCDF Lead Agency ensure that child care services are available in the areas affected by a disaster?
- How will providers and families get in touch with child care licensing and child care subsidies?
- How will providers report their operational status and complete a damage assessment?
- What is needed before the child care provider can resume operations?
- What requirements could be modified or waived following a disaster and the process for requesting and approvals?
- How can families who are new to subsidies access the assistance?
- How can authorizations for school-age children’s part-time care be changed if schools are not in operation?
Responding to Disasters: Federal Resource
This information memorandum provides guidance to state, territorial, and Tribal CCDF Lead Agencies regarding the flexibility in spending CCDF funds in response to federal or state-declared emergency situations.
Technical Assistance Resources
This summary from the Child Care State Capacity Building Center (SCBC) includes the real-world disaster response experiences of Alaska, Texas, and Louisiana and underlines the importance of having a policy and process in place before an emergency.
This brief from SCBC is part of the Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery discussion brief series and provides suggestions to Lead Agencies on actions related to hostile intruders that should be considered as disaster plans are developed. Topics addressed include what policies, requirements, and resources Lead Agencies can put in place to help providers ensure the best outcomes for staff, children, and families.
This brief from SCBC is part of the Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery discussion brief series and describes how the Louisiana CCDF Lead Agency responded to the issue of continuation of child care services in the face of a large-scale disaster that directly affected the CCDF Lead Agency and staff. The brief also highlights CCDF and Lead Agency flexibility following the disaster as well as interagency collaboration.
This discussion brief from SCBC can support CCDF Lead Agencies’ after-action reviews of their responses to COVID-19 and issues being addressed during recovery. Many of the strategies and approaches used during the pandemic may also be appropriate for other more localized emergency and disaster responses.
This brief from SCBC is part of the Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery discussion brief series and addresses the key data that will help state and territory leaders describe the predisaster context and quantify the disaster’s impact in order to respond and calculate assistance needed for recovery. The brief also discusses which partners and community organizations may have data and the importance of developing information-sharing agreements.
This discussion brief from SCBC is part of the Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery discussion brief series and explores best practices for planning to include children in special populations.
This suite of resources from SCBC includes titles such as the following:
- Responding to Disaster and Emergencies: Helpful Child Care Information to Share
This tip sheet provides resource topics and frequently asked questions that state and territory CCDF Administrators may consider when developing content and resources to post on their consumer education website in response to an emergency or disaster. - Leveraging Child Care Consumer Education Websites during Emergencies and Disasters
This suite of resources includes a webinar, tips and best practices, and an assessment tool. - Considerations for Emergency Child Care: Information and Tips for Families and Providers
During a public health emergency, the ability of families and providers to successfully transition to emergency child care when necessary is crucial. This resource provides a list of tips and considerations for transitioning to using or providing emergency child care.
Return to Child Care and Development Fund Disaster Plans page.
