Learning Resources

Required Resources

Course Text:

• Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (5th ed.)
  • Chapter 5, “Emergency Response Procedures for Early Childhood Education Enviroments” (pp. 170–180) and (pp. 188–205)
  • Chapter 10, “Tools for Promoting Good Health in Children” (pp. 379–419)
  • Chapter 15, “Providing Mentally and Emotionally Healthy Environment” (pp. 574-589)
  • Chapter 14, “Child Maltreatment” (pp. 524–545 and 549–553)

Note: Peruse the following Web sites and online articles. You will need to refer to these resources when completing your Discussion and Application Assignment.

Web Sites:

• Child Welfare Information Gateway: Child Abuse and Neglect
  
• FEMA
• American Red Cross

Articles:

• Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency: Bureau of Plans. (2003, August). Retrieved from
  Bureau of Plans Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
• Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2008, April). Retrieved from Welfare Information Gateway. For more information: National Association for the Education of Young Children. about/positions
• Reproduced with permission of National Association for the Education of Young Children in the format Scan via Copyright Clearance Center.
• National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. (n.d.). Signs and symptoms: Shaken baby syndrome. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from
• American Psychological Association. (2001). Understanding child sexual abuse: Education, prevention, and recovery. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from

Position Statement:

• Caregivers of Young Children: Preventing and Responding to Child Maltreatment
• Violence in the Lives of Children
  

Optional Resources

Web Sites:

• Prevent Child Abuse America
• Child help

Course Project: Creating a Child Health, Safety, and Nutrition Blog

This week, you will continue to work on your course project by creating the second section.

Section 2: Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

Crisis situations can take many forms and occur at any time. A disaster, whether human-generated or natural, may threaten a facility where young children are present. Depending on where the facility is located, natural disasters range from fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, to floods. Unfortunately, these are not the only kinds of emergencies adults who work with young children must plan for. The terrorist attack of 9/11 and news of various school shootings have underscored the critical importance of emergency preparedness of all kinds. Although years may go by without a crisis, when a critical situation presents itself, adults must be able to respond quickly and effectively. Advance planning is essential.

Early childhood professionals should prepare for large-scale dangers, such as ecological disasters or terrorist attacks, the same way they prepare for emergencies involving individuals: by first identifying the kind of crisis that may occur, analyzing the risks it poses, and determining steps to prevent and cope with the dangerous situation. This week, you will continue to work on your course project by creating Section 2, “Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters.” You will select and investigate a crisis situation caused by two different disasters and draft a plan for dealing with each one.

• Think of two specific dangers or disaster scenarios that could threaten an early childhood environment in the area where you live. Review and/or familiarize yourself with relevant information and guidelines using the following resources:
  • Read through relevant sections of the American Red Cross
  • Consult the
  • Refer to the “Reality Check” sections on pages 199–201 (“Creating an Emergency Natural Disaster Plan for Your Early Childhood Education Environment”) and pages 203–204 (“Human-Generated Disasters”) of your course text, and identify the appropriate planning steps for the disasters you selected.

For this section of your course project, complete the following:

• Describe each of the disaster scenarios you have chosen (such as a hurricane that has quickly developed in your area) and a real or hypothetical early childhood setting (such as a Head Start program housed on a university campus near the coast). What are the main dangers posed by these situations? Who is at risk?
• Explain why you and your colleagues should be prepared. What are the consequences of not being prepared?
• Summarize the appropriate steps you would take to develop a plan in advance for this disaster and how you would deal with it if it occurs.

Be sure to:

• Explain how you would assess the risks.
• Identify potential complications created by this disaster besides the main disaster/danger itself.
• Describe any other steps you and/or your early childhood program should take to be prepared to handle this kind of crisis. What kinds of materials or documentation (e.g., first aid supplies, family emergency contact information, and so on) would be necessary and/or helpful?
• Explain how you might involve the families of the children in your care.