Page 7 - Creating a Community of Resiliency

Executive Summary
Project Overview
In 2011 the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) Emergency Preparedness and Response Program (EPRP) launched a pilot project to strengthen the preparation for and response to public health emergencies. In 2012 EPRP contracted with Child Care Resource Center (CCRC), a member of the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles (CCALA), to coordinate two countywide projects designed to expand on the pilot project:
Project 1 Goal. Improve emergency preparedness and response capabilities of Resource and Referral (R&R)/Advanced Payment (AP) agencies throughout Los Angeles County, their associated early care and education providers and the children and families they serve.
Project 2 Goal. Improve the emergency preparedness and response capabilities of R&R agencies and early care and education providers throughout Los Angeles County.
CCRC was the lead agency and administered the Creating a Community of Resiliency program, conducted the background research, implemented focus groups, designed the curriculum and toolkits, contracted with Save the Children to facilitate meetings, conducted the train-the-trainer sessions for the other CCALA agencies, coordinated the contract and invoicing, and conducted all evaluation and reporting activities. The CCALA agencies participated in three major functions: focus groups, training workshops, and working sessions.
Review of Regulations and Resources
CCRC’s review of the state and federal regulations and available resources for early care and education providers in the area of emergency preparedness revealed minimal requirements but a wealth of resources. California requires that licensed early c are and education providers have a fire extinguisher and disaster plan in writing and available and that it be practiced every 6 months. These are not checked or verified with any regularity. In California an Earthquake Preparedness checklist is suggested but not required. These are mandates for licensed providers; nothing exists for unlicensed or license-exempt providers who operate legally without a license (often referred to as family, friend, and neighbor care).
The resources for emergency preparedness are plentiful and often overwhelming. After a thorough review of these resources, the CCRC noted a number of best practices for developing a training toolkit for early care and education providers:
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