Some Things I Need To Update For New Regs

[Josiegirl]

I'll be the first to admit preparedness and paperwork are not my strong points. New regs. go into effect Sept. 1st, and I still have so much to do to be in compliance.

I find some of it so overwhelming that I don't even know where to begin. So, I haven't.
I don't have a grab'n'go kit. I've never ever needed one. We just don't live somewhere where there are ever any emergencies. We lose power occasionally but very seldom and for short periods of time. I have an evacuation plan posted in case of fire, but have never done a lock-down drill and have no clue where to start. My home is so small; I'd have no clue where we'd go. I live on a hill so floods aren't an issue. We've been told to keep an emergency stash of stuff serving 48 hrs.(I think it was 2 days worth and not just 1 day)and store it at a neighbor's house in case our home wasn't available for safety reasons. :confused:

I'm so confused and overwhelmed by all of this, and I tend to avoid things that make my head spin. But I have to get my head together and work on it. Any suggestions on how to tackle this? Or do you have written policies you could share to help me start so it doesn't feel so confusing to me?
Thanks so much for sharing any info that you can.

[Annalee]

I'll be the first to admit preparedness and paperwork are not my strong points. New regs. go into effect Sept. 1st, and I still have so much to do to be in compliance.

I find some of it so overwhelming that I don't even know where to begin. So, I haven't.
I don't have a grab'n'go kit. I've never ever needed one. We just don't live somewhere where there are ever any emergencies. We lose power occasionally but very seldom and for short periods of time. I have an evacuation plan posted in case of fire, but have never done a lock-down drill and have no clue where to start. My home is so small; I'd have no clue where we'd go. I live on a hill so floods aren't an issue. We've been told to keep an emergency stash of stuff serving 48 hrs.(I think it was 2 days worth and not just 1 day)and store it at a neighbor's house in case our home wasn't available for safety reasons. :confused:

I'm so confused and overwhelmed by all of this, and I tend to avoid things that make my head spin. But I have to get my head together and work on it. Any suggestions on how to tackle this? Or do you have written policies you could share to help me start so it doesn't feel so confusing to me?
Thanks so much for sharing any info that you can.

I hear ya! We have an emergency tote in our bathtub in the daycare room....enough blankets for all our kids, non-perishable food, flashlight,water, first aid kit, etc. We have to have plans for chemical spills, intruder/lockdown, floods, tornadoes, earthquake, fire, etc....the state emergency team had to come out and approve our plan. I now have to have a separate attendance log that I complete daily for fire reasons. We have to do monthly fire drills but the other disasters, we have a drill every six months. My parents sign in on separate pages in a binder so I have to have a single sheet that I complete for fire approval.:confused:I have a separate room with some space and I run out of room, so I know providers in their actual home space have NO room for all this stuff. The rules/regs keep being added to, though:confused:

[flying_babyb]

we have an emergency backpack that includes:
crackers
books
a first aid kit
flashlights
two large blankets

Our most likely emergency is power loss or tornado. We have only had ONE emergency situation in the two years I've worked there, and that wasn't even a real tornado.
Here is the fema example emergency plan

https://emilms.fema.gov/is36/assets/EAP_Sample.pdf

I really like this one which would work nice if your doing a emergency binder to put in your kit

https://www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/Child_Care_Emergency_Preparedness_Toolbox.pdf

[Josiegirl]

Thanks to you both!!
Those links will be a major help! And yes, room is an issue. The only storage place I have for extras, such as food, clothing, blankets, water, etc., is in my basement. It's a wet damp basement during the spring and summer months so it's not good for that type of thing.
We can call on our local F.D. to help us create our plans and I think that's what I'm going to end up doing. They'll be able to see my house differently than I do, with different options that I might not be thinking of.

I also need to update my handbook again, to include all these types of things. :confused: They've made administering meds. such a procedure that I am now refusing to do it at all in my dc. And even though I sent home an addendum to my handbook, that also needs to be added officially. Feels like sometimes my brain just cannot handle the overload and it shuts down completely.

Please keep your suggestions and thoughts coming, I could use all the help I can get.

[KayB]

Not sure if this will help but here is what I have.


EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN


Parents,
In case for some unknown reason we have to evacuate my home while your child or children is in my care you need to know the following destinations we will evacuate to. If there is time I will contact you and Licensing so you can pick your child up. But if there is no time I will take the children with me to the following locations and notify both you and licensing as soon as I can.

Anytime my home has to be evacuated we will firstly relocate to any destination that we have been advised or instructed to go to by the police or the emergency broadcasting system. If there are no such instructions we will go to the following:

In case my home becomes unsafe due to fire, gas leak, chemical spill, nuclear disaster we will walk TO THE BACK FENCE IN THE BACKYARD as practiced during our fire drill.

If severe enough to leave neighborhood we will drive to my mother's house located at xxxxx

I DO NOT have car seats for each of the children they will be buckled in as safely as possible. We will use both my car and my daughters car to get the children to safety.

Tornado Danger: MAIN BATHROOM OR HALLWAY

In case we have to lock down where we have been told by authorities the home is unsafe due to an active shooter or police matter in our neighborhood all doors are locked. Should someone unsafe tries to get in my home we will barricade the front and back door as best as we can after we take the children to the bedroom that has a lock and we will also barricade that door as best as we can. We will have our cell phones and contact info with us. If there is that kind of situation you CANNOT come in nor can we go out. Just know that when it is deemed safe I will call you to come get your child.

In all these circumstances we will always have the following: our phones with your childs contact number in it, our attendance records with us on who is in care that day along with their contact info on paper. We will also have the childrens emergency authorization form that you had to fill out upon enrollment.

If we shall find ourselves in any of these situation we will continue care as if we were in daycare as best as we possibly can. We have a bag that we will grab that has diapers/wipes in there along with book, coloring books, games that we can play and music to keep their minds preoccupied and off of the situation.

Hopefully NONE of these measurements will have to be implemented but, if they do you will be aware of where you can pick up your child as soon as the danger has been cleared.

[flying_babyb]

Ty! thats what I forgot to toss in our emergency bag! diapers! In our old one I had two of every size 1-5 and a thing of wipes. Plastic bags for disposal too!
@josie girl- You can get totes that are completely waterproof. They are not the cheapest but at least you could store in your basement

[Josiegirl]

Thank you KayB, that helps a lot! I never know how to word things to make them sound professional. It sounds so much better than "we're getting the heck outta here!" I need to pinpoint the safest/best areas to evacuate to in case of certain disasters though because each type could require a different plan.

[Annalee]

You can also find totes with wheels. The emergency management team suggested this to me so it would easier to get out the door to a vehicle while possibly carrying kids as well.

[Josiegirl]

Ty! thats what I forgot to toss in our emergency bag! diapers! In our old one I had two of every size 1-5 and a thing of wipes. Plastic bags for disposal too!
@josie girl- You can get totes that are completely waterproof. They are not the cheapest but at least you could store in your basement

Totes, such as a plain old Rubbermaid tote? I need to start putting together a couple. Sounds like a good weekend project. Thanks!

[flying_babyb]

I used a rubbermaid at my last center. they stay pretty dry and give you lots of room to pack in stuff.

[Mom2Two]

If you had to evacuate with kids...what would you want with you? To me diapers would be high on my list, along with first aid, disp gloves, emergency contact #s, dry socks. We tent camp a lot, and it seems like you can never have enough plastic bags (like grocery store bags). Just think like that.

Anyone can have an emergency. The house next door to you could catch fire or have a natural gas leak. You just never know.

Ours is in our coat closet, close to the doors.

[Cat Herder]

Totes, such as a plain old Rubbermaid tote? I need to start putting together a couple. Sounds like a good weekend project. Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-STST18613-3-in-1-Rolling-WorkShop/dp/B009CP4FAK/ref=sr_1_3/130-4295027-3076641?ie=UTF8&qid=1496442930&sr=8-3&keywords=plastic+rolling+tool+boxes

It is easy to put one together this way, $38.00. Bonus: still useful should you ever get out of daycare. (lowes has them on sale now, too)

[grandmom]

http://do1thing.com/

https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is36/student%20manual/is-36_complete_sm_feb2012.pdf

http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/

[hwichlaz]

I have an SUV that seats 8.
My 48 hour kit is in my trunk. The local school gym is the red cross shelter. It's two blocks away. So that's our emergency plan.