Natural and man made
disasters are something that we cannot control. Having a disaster plan in place
and ready is important for the safety of the children. The purpose of this
paper is to describe how a teacher should be prepared and what consequences can
arise by not being prepared in the wake of a tornado or lock down in an early
hood educational facility.
Tornadoes
Tornadoes
In the Infant
Childcare Center, located within the Joliet Central High school building, the
power goes off and in the distance the sound of tornadoes sirens can be heard. The principle gave the teachers the signal
over the loud speaker that a tornado was coming and to be prepared. In this situation the main dangers are flying
debris. Everyone in the classroom is at risk for injury if the necessary steps
towards keeping the children safe are not executed.
Being prepared and
practicing procedures could mean life or death. Infants and toddlers are unable
to understand what is going on and therefore may become agitated or scared. A
tornado is not something that can be predicted but having monthly tornado
drills can help teachers and staff feel more confident to handle the
situation. A portable wagon or crib that can transport
children to the designated safe area will be necessary since infants cannot
walk. Having a diagram and written plan
in place in necessary in case such a disaster as a tornado should occur. According to Robertson (2016) the diagram
would indicate where the exit doors and windows; location of first aid kits,
fire extinguishers; utility shutoff; and location of food, clothing and tools. Taking a file folder or portable case ready at
all times which contains all important paperwork regarding health issues and
emergency contacts would be beneficial to the teachers. The infants would then
be brought to a “Protective place” such as the interior of the building away
from windows and glass (Daycare Facilities Emergency Planning Guide,
2003, pg. 13). In the event that the
children needed to be moved from the center, the parents should be aware ahead
of time of a safe meeting place where their children would be located.
Lock Down
Lock Down
An intruder has
entered a campus building where there is a head start program located inside.
The first step to have in place is to develop a warning phrase so that the
teachers are aware what is going on but the intruder is not alerted. A lot of school districts and campuses have
developed early childhood programs within the schools so they are required to
do lock down drills. During a lock down
the main dangers would be the violent situation such as an intruder and getting
to a locked room or exiting the building safely.
Teachers and staff
should be prepared and practice the lock down procedure once a month. Practice
will allow teachers to handle the situation wisely and be prepared to keep the
children as quiet and calm as possible. Infants and toddlers do not understand
what is going on and therefore do not always keep quite when we need them to.
Teachers should make sure all doors are locked
and locate the children to either a safe locked room or if possible out of the
building. If unable to leave the building, teachers could sit down with the
older infants and toddlers and try to engage them in a book or some activity to
keep them calm. Teachers should never try to confront the intruder in case it
makes them even more agitated (Disaster Preparation in Childcare, 2008). When a lock down situation happens, Joliet
school district contacts the parents via automated phone call and continues to
update until the lock down has been lifted.
Explain to parents the importance of allowing the school and teachers to
handle the situation and that it is dangerous to come to the facility until the
area is secure and the lock down lifted.
References
Daycare Facilities Emergency
Planning Guide. (2003). Retrieved from
005/Week%202/Application/Week%202%20Assignment/embedded/day_care_facilities_
planning_guide.pdf
Disaster Preparation in Childcare.
(2008). Retrieved from
hildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=547
Robertson, C. (2016). Safety,
nutrition, and health in early education (6th ed.). Boston, MA:
Wadsworth/Cengage
Learning.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteBoth situations you described can be absolutely terrifying, especially when children are in your care. As both can be stressful, it is extremely important to be prepared. I experienced a tornado warning at a center I worked at and it was scary. The children were scared and so was I. However, I made sure my anxiousness did not show and we got the children in our designated safe area. Warnings can last for a decent amount of time so I spent time singing with and to the children as well as telling silly stories. This kept them calm and got their minds off the fact that we were all sitting in a strange place while the weather was scary outside. Knowing what you are going to do beforehand makes things go much smoother if any of these situations occur.