I
currently work at a Head Start program in the inner city of Baltimore. The
location of my site sits behind neighborhood row homes and the classrooms are
in a modular location. You have to walk up a alley or across a large field to
get to the classrooms. So if we are faced with a tropical storm or terrorist
attack we would have to relocate the children out of the modular to the school
building close by. This makes the task a very dangerous one because we have to
leave out and travel a few hundred feet to a safer location. If a tropical
storm warning was in effect in our area we will have to quickly move the
children in dangerous winds to a safer location. This is so risky because the
children could become frighten and some may not want to even move at all.
In
event that these two events occur it is imperative that all staff and children
are prepared to follow through with the escape plans. If we are not prepared
then children and staff are at risk of becoming injured due to the lack of
knowledge for a safe evaluation. An even worse consequence could be leaving a
child behind. If this happens, the early childhood programs are in jeopardy of
being faced with a lawsuit for causing harm to the children. The program can
also lose their license and no longer can provide care for children. Staff will
be without a job and possibly labeled as a threat to young children.
To
prepare for a natural disaster in your area, certain steps should be considered
(Robertson, 2014, pg.197).One must first become familiar with the hazards in
their area. Then research how often it happens and how long it may last. Also
find out will there be a warning signal to inform the people. Once you have
gathered all the information, begin to develop a plan to successfully evaluate
the staff and children when the time comes. As I stated before the center I
work at is located in a modular across from a public school. The risk in this
area involves fallen trees and debris from the surrounding homes. To
successfully evacuate the children will need a plan of action in place and carry
our emergency bags, medication boxes and emergency contacts for all our
children. Monthly unannounced drills will also better prepare us for emergency
evacuations due to natural disasters. A great way to involve families will be
to encourage them to conduct monthly or annual drills to prepare them for any
natural disaster. Workshops, parent conferences and parent meetings are great
opportunities to present parents with this information.
References
Robertson,C.,(2013)
Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood Education. (5th ed), Wadsworth,
Cengage Learning, Bellmont, CA.
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