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Supporting Children After a Disaster
July 2, 2015
I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear.
-Rosa Parks

In their book, Preparing for Disaster: What Every Early Childhood Director Needs to Know, Cathy Grace and Elizabeth Shores offer advice such as this for providing a safe environment for children after a disaster:

Give physical comfort.  Hold, stroke, rock, and gently speak to infants and children who are frightened....  Shield children from television and radio reports and adult conversations about the disaster they experienced.

Listen and respond.  Attend to children's expressions of fear and anxiety and their retelling of their stories of the disaster....  When children describe their experiences... or ask questions... help them handle fear and anxiety by responding simply and honestly.

Restore a familiar, predictable classroom routine.  Knowing what comes next in a day gives children a feeling of control over their lives.  Maintain a predictable schedule; reread favorite books; replay favorite games.





Preparing for Disaster
What Every Early Childhood Director Needs to Know

Without warning, a catastrophic event can destroy an early childhood program. Based on Cathy Grace and Elizabeth Shores' experiences working in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, Preparing for Disaster: What Every Early Childhood Director Needs to Know explains the steps directors can take to ensure the safety of their program and the children they care for.

Preparing for Disaster provides practical advice and information to prepare for and respond to universal disasters like fires and epidemics and regional disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes. Protect your program before disaster strikes.

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Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Mark Shinnick · July 02, 2015
Holy Child Pre-school
Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland


A very practical and step by step approach that is child centred child focused.... Perhaps an inclusion on caring for the carers would be an important reminder too in times of dealing with a critical incident or disaster.



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