Page 73 - Creating a Community of Resiliency

Recommendations
A recurring theme in the surveys, focus groups, training workshops, and working sessions was the thirst for more information. Early childhood educators want more workshops and want them repeated. They want better information on psychological preparedness and types of emergencies for which they feel less prepared (e.g., threats of violence, terrorist attacks, and explosions). It is recommended that the workshops be continued throughout Los Angeles County. Given the timeframe of the project, a 2-month window of training was possible. An extended period of funded trainings would impact a greater number of early childhood educators, parents, and children throughout Los Angeles County.
To truly create a community of resilience, early childhood educators will need information specific to them and their situations: How can they get their parents more involved? Who are their likely partners who can help during and after an emergency? How can they connect with those partners before an emergency? To achieve this level of community building, early childhood educators might need help facilitating a group or a network nearby. The R&R agency could use GIS (Geographical Information Services) technology to create maps of provider communities and connect groups of early childhood educators based on location. The resulting emergency preparedness communities could be convened and create lists of other partners (emergency responders, public schools, community-based organizations, etc.). A similar idea has been created within ECE Professional Learning Communities. This program is part of a large early childhood education workforce consortium in Los Angeles. In the ECE Professional Learning Communities, various stakeholders in the vicinity of an elementary school meet and strategize around a common goal. Significant staffing resources would be required to begin these emergency preparedness communities, but the costs would be well spent as the resulting partnerships could sustain the type of long-term impact that is needed.
It is recommended that R&R agencies receive similar support. The working sessions resulted in an increased knowledge of the gaps, how to support the early childhood community, and how to begin ECE emergency preparedness advisory groups. Creating a community of resiliency will require more than one-time training, however; it will require establishing on-going networks of community agencies. R&R agencies felt they need more resources support—staffing and time—in this area. As suggested for the early childhood educators, GIS can also locate groups of agencies. This might be accomplished through asset mapping using the Healthy City website (www.healthycity.org).
Conclusions and Recommendations
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