Chapter 3 - Temporal Environment

Learning Outcomes
1. Write an appropriate plan for daily routines
2. Plan the learning environment to maintain health and safety
The term temporal environment refers to the timing, sequence, and length of routines and
activities that take place throughout the school day. It includes the schedule of activities such as arrival,
play time, meal time, rest time, both small- and large-group activities, and the many transitions that hold
them all together. Predictable schedules and routines create a sense of security, help young children to
learn about their world, help them to adjust to new situations, and prevent challenging behaviors. Daily
routines also help young children to say good-bye to parents and to feel safe and secure within a
nurturing network of caregivers. For example, establishing the routine of reading a book together every
day in the same cozy corner of the room can help a child to prepare for the difficult separation from her
parent.

Lesson 1: Daily Routines and Schedules

1.1 children need routine and familiar faces; The Importance of Schedules and
Routines
A schedule posted to a wall inside a daycare room. Familiar activities can provide comfort for both
adults and children during challenging and uncertain times. Just like adults, children feel more confident
and secure when their daily activities are predictable and familiar. A consistent daily schedule and step-
by-step routines give children a predictable day. Schedules and routines in the group care setting and at
home help children:
 Feel in control of their environment
 Feel safe, secure, and comfortable
 Know what is happening now and what comes next
 Know how to do an activity or task
 Engage in learning
Why are routines and schedules important?
When infants and toddlers are part of familiar activities and routines, they develop relationships with the
people they interact with and gain a sense of belonging and self-confidence.
As older toddlers and young children grow, they can follow routines, demonstrate emerging
independence, and adjust to change more easily.

1.2 planning for physical needs

The term physical environment refers to the overall design and layout of a given classroom and
its learning centers. Teachers should design the environment by organizing its spaces, furnishings, and
materials to maximize the learning opportunities and the engagement of every child. To effectively do
so, teachers can apply a concept known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which stresses that the
environment and its materials in it should be accessible to everyone. Creating this accessibility might
involve providing books at different reading levels, placing materials within easy reach on a shelf, or
creating ample space so that a child who uses a wheelchair can maneuver around the classroom.

When they set out to design an effective physical environment, teachers should consider all of that
environment’s various aspects.

1.3 planning for social needs

The term social environment refers to the way that a classroom environment influences or
supports the interactions that occur among young children, teachers, and family members. A well-
designed social environment helps foster positive peer relationships, creates positive interactions
between adults and children, and provides opportunities for adults to support children to achieve their
social goals. To create a classroom environment that supports positive social interactions, teachers need
to plan activities that take the following aspects into consideration.
1.3a. Group size and composition
Children should spend time every day in different kinds of groups. Groups of various sizes open
up different opportunities for social interaction and learning. Activities suited to large groups include
opening group circle time, story time, meal times, and outside time. Small groups allow more time for
interaction with individual children and are ideal for teaching new skills and providing feedback.
Additionally, small groups offer more opportunities for children to practice their language skills and for
teachers to facilitate children’s communication development.
Groups can either be made up of children with similar skills and abilities (i.e., homogenous
groups) or mixed abilities (i.e., heterogeneous groups). Homogenous groups are ideal for teaching
targeted skills or skills that meet the particular needs of a subset of children. Conversely, groups that
include children with diverse skills and abilities provide opportunities for all children to learn positive
social skills and communication skills from their peers. In this way, all children contribute to the
classroom culture while also receiving the support they need to interact with their peers and teachers in
meaningful ways.
When considering group size and composition teachers should:
 Make sure children have opportunities to get to know each other and engage when in groups,
including snack and meal times, to promote interactions.
 Create activities that require children to work together and share materials.
 Provide visual supports to promote social interaction and independence. Some children may not
interact with their peers because they may not know what to do or how to do it.
 Model, encourage, and teach positive social-interaction skills.
 Model, encourage, and teach problem-solving skills.
 Consider limiting the number of children allowed in a given area at one time.
1.3b. Teacher versus child-initiated Activities
A learning environment’s daily routine should include both teacher-initiated and child-initiated
activities. Teacher-initiated activities are those that the teacher plans and leads, such as story time or a
small-group learning activity. Generally, a child-initiated activity is one that allows children to follow
their interests and explore their passions. When they plan activities for the social environment, teachers
should:

 Take note of children’s preferred activities when they have the opportunity to choose their own.
Doing so can help teachers to identify the children’s areas of strengths and interests.
 Recognize that children may demonstrate challenging behavior during teacher-led activities that
they find difficult, uninteresting, or overwhelming. Teachers can use their knowledge of
children’s preferred activities and materials and embed them in activities that may be more
challenging (e.g., If a child love trains, but does not like to use any writing materials, provide
pictures of trains for the child to color at the writing center).
 Assign classroom jobs or responsibilities (e.g., plant water helper, animal feeder, lunch cart
pusher, table setter) to help children feel a sense of belonging.
 Make sure that every child has the opportunity to be a leader and a helper.
 Make sure that every child has frequent opportunities to answer questions, make choices, or offer
comments in a verbal or non-verbal way. For example, children can indicate their song choice
during group time in a number of different ways (e.g., speaking, pointing).
1.3c. Materials and Activities that Promote Interaction
Activities, games, and toys that require two or more children to participate have been shown to
promote social interaction. More, different types of materials promote different types of play and social
interaction. For example, a board game might lend itself to a couple of children, a home-living area
might be more appropriate for a small group, and a game of duck-duck-goose requires a large group.
When they think about what materials and activities should be included in their classrooms, teachers
should:

 Limit the amount of materials so that children have to share to promote social interaction. Be
careful not to limit to the point that children argue over them.
 Plan projects that can be done as groups or in pairs. For example, teachers can give two children
one large piece of paper to create a collage.
 Provide toys—such as dolls and building blocks—that are likely to encourage social interaction.

1.4. planning for emotional needs

From the moment your child is born they are developing a sense of self and the world around
them. They begin to learn to trust you. As you build a bond with them they feel secure in their world.
This sets the stage for their entire developmental future. You help them develop socially and
emotionally. Social development is our interaction with others. It is the ability to form secure
relationships. Emotional development is regulating and expressing emotions. It involves the way one
feels about themselves, others and the world.
Recent research shows a direct connection between healthy social-emotional development and
academic success. The National Academy of Sciences identified three qualities children need to be
ready for school: intellectual skills, motivation to learn, and strong social/emotional capacity. The report
states:
Strong social-emotional development underlies all later social, emotional, and academic success.
Young children who develop strong early relationships with parents, family, caregivers, and teachers
learn how to pay attention, cooperate, and get along with others. They are confident in their ability to
explore and learn from the world around them.
A person’s life experiences, genetic makeup, and temperament can affect their social-emotional
development. As your child’s first role model, you can send a positive message to them. Start by being
supportive.
 Love your child and show your affection for them. Hug, cuddle, read, and talk with them
throughout the day.
 Encourage your child to try new things. Help them see what they are capable of. Let your child
know you are pleased with their accomplishments.
 Give your child opportunities to play with other children their age. Help them explore their world
and get to know the people in it. Model kind and generous behaviors when interacting with other
adults and children.
 Show your feelings. Let your child see when you are happy or sad. This helps them to develop
empathy for others.
 Establish daily routines. Your child will feel confident and secure. They will learn that events
can happen in an organized way. Create routines that are predictable but flexible.
 Acknowledge your child’s feelings. Help them talk about what they feel and how they are
feeling. Comfort your child when they are upset. Hold them and speak softly and calmly.
Provide positive social-emotional opportunities for your child. They will feel good about themselves and
develop confidence. Your child will form secure relationships with others and ultimately will be able to
focus and learn. This strong and healthy foundation will lead to future academic success.
1.4a. Managing emotions:
At this stage, children are ready to enter preschool. A new social environment and more
independence provides a great opportunity for growth but also poses some new challenges. Sharing,
listening and playing together can cause friction between children, and since they cannot rely on their
parents all the time anymore, they must develop new coping skills to manage on their own. Preschool
caregivers play a vital role in this development as they create a safe space and offer guidance.
1.4b. How to foster growth in this stage?
Give them strategies. Just as infants suck their fingers or clutch their blankets, preschoolers use
tangible ways to deal with their intangible emotions. Going to a quiet place, deep breathing, and
coloring are all good strategies. The goal is to help children learn what works for them. Do they
need to be alone, have a conversation or be distracted before they can process their feelings?
Doing this before a child gets upset can go a long way toward influencing their behavior when
they are.
Laura Morlok, licensed clinical professional counselor from Playful Therapy Connections,
suggests also demonstrating these strategies yourself. “You can support your child in managing
their emotions by modeling coping strategies and then practicing them together. ‘I'm feeling angry
because I dropped the bowl and it broke. I think I need to take some deep breaths. Can you take
some deep breaths with me?’” This can help a child better understand how and when to apply
coping strategies.
1.4c. Have realistic expectations.
 If you expect too much from a child, you’re going to be disappointed and frustrated. Too much of
this and a child will start to associate shame and anxiety with their emotions—something that can
hurt their future development. On the other hand, if you expect too little, a child may learn
unhealthy behaviors instead of developing effective skills. This is why it is so important to be
aware of the different emotional stages. If you know that two-year-olds will have tantrums, it's
much easier to empathize with them and help them take the next steps in processing what’s upset
them.
Evan Porter, creator of the parenting blog Dad Fixes Everything, admits that his own parenting
benefits from understanding what is normal for his daughter. “Probably one of the biggest things
I've learned is that she needs lots of room to experience and work through her feelings. It's hard for
me, because I'm a fixer and I want to make her feel better when she's upset, but there's really no
way to short circuit the process. She has to get the feelings and the tears out before we can have a
constructive conversation about what happened and how to handle it better next time, and
sometimes that takes a while.”
1.4d. Validate. Validate. Validate. In order for a child to know that an emotion is manageable,
they must first know that it is normal. If they feel like they’re the only one who experiences
frustration, they are more likely to believe that they are helpless to it. Say things like, “This is very
frustrating. I would be frustrated too.” You can show them that feeling frustrated isn’t bad while
also normalizing their experience. This validation is key to building both self-confidence and a
healthy response to emotion.
1.4e. Help children find the tools they need to thrive
It doesn’t take many trips around the sun to know that even adults struggle with noticing,
expressing and managing their emotions at times. The process of emotional development is not a
straight line. Some days, you may need to encourage yourself, but having a good emotional
toolbox will make all the difference. You could be the one to help children find the skills they
need to fall back on when life gets tough, and, perhaps even better, you could show them just
how meaningful life is when you pay attention to the way it makes your breath catch, your
stomach turns, and your heart race.
You might think early childhood education is just about getting kids comfortable with the
academic basics—shapes, colors, counting—but in reality, early childhood educators play an
important role in helping children develop emotionally and more.

1.5. planning for intellectual needs

10 Ways to Promote Your Child’s Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is characterized by the way a child learns, acquires
knowledge and interacts with his surrounding environment. Different cognitive skills are
acquired as a child meets certain developmental milestones, but a child of any ability will
benefit from activities that promote active learning. As a parent and Teacher, you can
encourage your child’s cognitive development in the areas of memory, concentration,
attention and perception by incorporating simple activities into your everyday routine.
Here are 10 easy ways you can help your child’s cognitive development:
1. Sing-a-longs
 Sing songs with your child and encourage him to sing along with you. Play his favorite songs and
music in the house and car regularly and he may eventually start singing along by himself. This
activity helps promote memory and word identification.
2. Identify Noises
Have your child identify noises that he hears throughout the day (i.e. a bird singing, a car horn,
running water or the dishwasher). He will begin to understand how sounds relate to objects in his
everyday environment.
3. Practice the Alphabet
Help your child identify letters by singing along to the “Alphabet Song,” reading books about the
alphabet and playing with alphabet puzzles.
Here is an example of an easy game to help your child learn his letters:
1. Cut out individual squares that feature each letter of the alphabet written in bright colors.
2. Mix them up and tape them on various surfaces in the house.
3. Go through the alphabet with your child and encourage him to search around the house to find the
next letter and tape it to the wall in order.
4. When finished, leave the alphabet letters in order up on the wall until you’re ready to play the game
again.
4. Practice Counting
Identify opportunities throughout the day to practice counting. Count the number of shoes in your
child’s closet when he gets dressed or the number of slides on the playground when you go to the park.
You may soon find that you’re counting everything!
5. Practice Shapes and Colors
Identify shapes and colors when interacting with your child. You can say, “That is a round, blue ball,”
when playing in the yard or “That sign is a red octagon” when pulling up to a stop sign. As he gets
older, you can ask him to describe objects to you.
6. Offer Choices
When you can, offer your child choices: “Would you like to wear the brown shorts or the blue shorts?”
or “Would you like string cheese or yogurt with your lunch?” This will help him to feel more
independent and learn to make confident decisions that affect his day.
7. Ask Questions
Another way to help your child learn to think for himself is to ask him questions: “Which toy should we
pick up first when we clean up the living room? Or “Why is it important to walk down the stairs
slowly?” Asking him questions helps him learn how to problem solve and better understand how his
environment works.
8. Visit Interesting Places
Take trips to your local children’s museum, library or farmer’s market to stimulate his curiosity and
provide him with “hand on” experiences. Ask him questions while you explore and listen to his
responses and reactions. These adventures can provide a learning experience for both of you.
9. Play with Everyday Items
Playing with everyday household items is educational, fun and cost effective. Encourage your child to
match various-sized lids to their accompanying pots or have him look in a mirror and point to his nose,
mouth, eyes, etc.
10. Offer a Variety of Games
Play a variety of games with your child to encourage problem solving and creativity. If your child is
younger, the two of you can build with blocks and play “Peek-a-Boo.” As he gets older, you can engage
him in board games, puzzles and play “Hide and Seek.”
1.6. planning a workable schedule
9 Tips & Tools to Plan a Daily Preschool Schedule
Planning a daily preschool schedule is important and there is more to it than listing Circle Time, Activity
Times, Snack Time, etc. You need to consider many other areas such as transition times and balancing
passive/active activities. If you don’t consider them, you’ll spend your days (and year!) wondering why
you are always running behind or why the children are not in the groove of school (aka behavior
problems).
Let’s look at the 9 tips you need to know!
1. You need to have a plan!
Having a daily preschool schedule is important. The predictability of knowing what comes next
helps preschoolers to feel secure which leads to them feeling comfortable to engage and
participate in activities throughout the day.
Preschoolers tell time differently than we do. They “tell time” by knowing what comes next. We
are asked daily “When do we have snack? When do we go outside? For some children, the
preoccupation with the question "When is Mommy coming?" limits the child's ability to
participate.
The daily preschool schedule helps children to predict their day and therefore participate more as
well as reduce separation anxiety:
-We are washing our hands, so we are going to have snack.
-We always go outside after snack.
-When we come in, we read a story and then Mommy comes.
-Another purpose for having a schedule is to help you to intentionally balance active/passive
activities and teacher vs child led activities.
This helps to keep the children from “zoning out”, getting bored or conversely, becoming
overstimulated by too little direction.
Yes, your daily preschool schedule is a fine balance, and one you will need to observe, assess and
make changes to as needed throughout the year. Set up your preschool schedule so it is balanced
and then review it throughout the year and make changes as necessary.
2. Plan for Transitions!
Let’s look at a sample portion of a preschool schedule for the morning portion of the day:
 9:15-9:30 Circle Time
9:30-10:30 Center Time
10:30-10:50 Snack Time
10:50-11:20 Outside Play
11:20-11:30 Story Time
11:30 Dismissal
Looks great right? But, there’s a problem! You haven’t allowed time for clean up after center
time, handwashing before snack or putting on jackets before going outside. Inevitably, this will
result in outside time being shortened from 30 min to 10 min or removed all together and just
doing a teacher-led active game or a round of the Hokey Pokey as you play catchup. The truth is,
whether you plan for them or not, transitions are part of your day.
If you plan on snack being 15 minutes and it takes 8-10 minutes for all of your children to wash
their hands, does that mean snack time is really only 5 minutes long? No, of course not, but what
it usually means is that your activity after snack time (usually outside time) will be cut short
because you didn’t plan on hand-washing!
This has a ripple effect. Your children will be frustrated.
If you are only able to stay outside for 10 minutes instead of 30, the children are not getting the
time they need to exercise. They are also not getting the amount of time it takes to really get
involved in group play with peers.
They may just be deciding they want to play tag and you’re giving the cue that it’s time to come
inside.
They cannot “tell” time, but they can “feel” it!
You will be running late for the rest of the day.
For a half day program, it means shortened outside time and possibly cutting out Story Time.
For full day programs it means eating lunch late, therefore taking naps or rest late and needed to
extend that time for the sleepers in your group, meaning late afternoon snack, late getting outside,
late for activities in the afternoon. It’s frustrating for everyone!
Moral: Plan for transitions! They happen whether you put them on the schedule or not! If you
plan for transitions within your posted schedule, your day will run smoother, the children will not
be frustrated with shortened activity times and you will no longer be running late at dismissal
time!
In addition to helping children feel confident in their environment and knowing generally what
will happen each day, having a daily schedule that is well-balanced will prevent many behavior
problems in your program.
3. Consider Audio and Visual Cues to Transitions
ow will you let your children know about the change from one scheduled activity to the next?
Ideally, you want as few transitions as possible. You also want the transitions to be as natural as
possible.
 Audio Cues-One of our classroom jobs was “Bell Ringer”. One of the teachers would give a 5
minute warning to the group that Center Time was almost over. When it was time, the Bell Ringer
would ring a small hand bell and say “Clean Up Time!” and lead the group in a clean-up time
song. It was THE most popular Job Helper position. And all the children responded well to clean
up time because they all loved the job and knew what it meant!
 Visual Cues-You can also have visual cues for those who need to see what will happen
throughout the morning. Consider making picture schedule cards to either tape directly onto the
wall or in a pocket chart.
Let’s now set up your schedule. Get some lined paper, a pencil and let’s go! The next 6 items are
how-to tips!
4. List Preschool Schedule Non-Negotiables- List all of your daily “non-negotiable” times.
These are times during your day that you can NOT change. It might be lunch (because it is
delivered to your classroom at a set time) or scheduled times such as Outside Time for your
classroom or Gym Time, etc.
5. List Your Activities by Name and Desired Time
List your activities by name and desired length of time you need for each.
Examples might be:
Circle Time: 20 minutes
Story Time: 15 minutes
Centers: 1 hour
6. Label Those Activities by Type
Next to each of the activities you want to do during your day, list the type of activity:
Is it Active or Passive?
Teacher Led or Child Led?
Remember #2 above: You need to have a balance. You do not want all passive, teacher-led
activities to happen back to back.
7. List Transitions
Referring back to #3 above, transitions will happen whether you plan for them or not! So plan for
them!
Plan the time the children will need to clean up from centers, wash hands, put on jackets, etc.
8. Map It Out!
Now that you have all your activities in writing, map them out into your time slots.
You might want to have a Circle Time and a Story Time in your day. You should have them both
listed in the steps above. Now, knowing that both of these activities are passive, you should break
them up rather than have Circle Time followed by Story Time. Perhaps you will have Story Time
after Snack or after Outside Time.
Consider the balance of active/passive when mapping as well as including the transitions you
listed.
9. Observe, Assess and Make Changes!
 A schedule is NEVER set in stone! You may need to tweak it throughout the year!
When you notice behavior issues in your classroom, take notes to detect patterns. Many times it is
due to the schedule needing a change.
You might notice:
Most of your children want to use the same 2 centers every day and seem to fight constantly about
who will be in that center. Your other interest centers are avoided or neglected.
A. You may not enough of a variety of interesting materials or activities in the neglected interest
centers.
B. You might have too much unguided time for the children during center time. This might be a
good place to add a small group activity (a science activity or cooking activity in groups of 4-6
while the rest of the children explore the interest centers).
You might notice:
You've lost interest of 3 or more of your children during Circle Time! There could be many
reasons for this. You can read more in 6 Dos and Don'ts of Circle Time article.
You might notice:
Your children don’t eat at snack time……they play with their food and toss the pieces of cheese at
each other calling them spiders!
A. The children have not had enough time during the day to interact freely with each (most of your
schedule prior to snack time has been teacher-led, passive activities). You will need to look at the
balance of those activities and have more interactive time for the children.
B. They are NOT hungry at snack time. Again, look at your schedule for the hours leading up to
snack time. Have the children mainly been involved in teacher-led, passive activities? Has there
been any type of gross motor or active part of the day (music/movement, interest center time,
etc.)? Adjust your morning so they are more active.
C. They are not hungry because snack time is too early! When do most of your children arrive? Is
it at 9:00 and you are having snack time at 10:00? It is possible that most of your children just ate
breakfast at 8:20-8:30. They are simply not hungry by 10:00!
D. One more scenario-if the children seem to argue a lot by 10:30, or children are having
meltdowns by 10:30, and 10:30 is your snack time, it may be too late! Try moving your snack
time to 10:00!
1.7. planning for emergencies
Natural disasters, illnesses, injuries, or threats of violence can shatter the daily routine of a child
care program. As teachers and caregivers, it is our job to keep children safe during these difficult events.
We can also be a resource and comfort to families and communities that are struggling.
1.7a. Types of Emergencies and Knowing Your Risk
One of the first steps in responding to emergencies is understanding the types of disasters that might
affect you and the children in your care.
From time to time, unusual events happen that require you to respond quickly. If there is the
potential for injury, harm, or loss of life, these events are emergencies. Emergencies might affect
your classroom, program, local area, region, or the entire country. Examples of emergencies that
typically affect child development programs are:
-Injuries: Children and staff may experience bodily harm while in your program. This may result
from falls, accidents, or contact with poisonous substances.
-Inclement weather: Snow, ice, or extreme heat can impact the safety of children and families.
-Technology failure: Electricity or water outages can impact the way your program operates.
-Missing child: This type of emergency occurs when a child leaves or is taken from the program
without authorization.
1.7b. When emergencies are more severe, affect a larger number of people, or present a stronger
risk, they can be thought of as disasters. Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. The type of disaster
you are likely to encounter depends on the many characteristics of the region in which you live.
There are several types of disasters that might affect child care programs:
1. Natural disasters:
This type of disaster includes flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, forest fires, wildfires,
earthquakes, tsunamis, or other similar events.
2. Technological:
This type of disaster includes explosions, nuclear fallout, severe power or gas outages, drinking
water shortages, oil spills, or fires.
3. Terrorism:
This type of disaster includes acts of violence or threats of violence against individuals or groups.
Examples may include bombings, shootings, kidnappings, hijacking, or use of biological
weapons.
4. Illness or epidemic:
This type of disaster involves the rapid spread of severe, potentially deadly illnesses like the flu.
It is important for you and your team to understand the types of emergencies you are likely to
face. Certain natural disasters, in particular, are more likely to affect certain regions of the
country or world.
It is also important to remember that not all emergencies are disasters. It is very likely that your
program will experience common emergencies like inclement weather, failure of electricity or
water, or injuries on the playground. You must be prepared to respond to all emergencies large
and small.
1.7c. Making a Plan
The most important thing you can do to prepare for an emergency is make a plan. This plan
should be in writing. All staff and families should know about the plan.
Your plan helps you answer questions like:
 Where will children be relocated?
Have alternate sites been identified and arranged in advance?
How will you relocate children if emergency occurred during normal operating hours?
How will parents be notified?
What are individual staff member responsibilities?
1.7d. Your emergency plan may also contain information about the following situations:
 Evacuation plans: You need to know where to go in the event of a tornado, fire, earthquake, or
other natural disaster. You also need to have a plan for how and where you will transport
children if your area is evacuated for flooding, technological disasters, or other reasons. These
plans should be posted in the classroom.
 Shelter in place plans: You need to know what to do if administrators or government officials
order individuals to take shelter. This is the likely response to a terrorist threat, a shooter in the
vicinity, risky weather conditions, or other unsafe conditions. While sheltered in place, you will
not be allowed to leave the building and others will not be allowed to enter the building. Shelter
in place plans should be posted in the classroom. As part of this plan, your team should also have
a way of communicating that teams must take shelter and communicating with one another while
sheltered in place. Unsafe situations may make it impossible to move about the building.
 Lock-down plans: You need to know what to do if your classroom is ordered to lock down.
Lockdowns occur in the event of an unknown intruder or active shooter. You must know how to
lock and barricade your doors and procedures for supervising children.
 Communicating with other staff: Disaster can strike at any time. Know the chain of
communication for emergencies and have updated staff phone rosters at home. You need to
know how you will contact your administrator if you cannot come to work. You also need to
know how you will find out if your program is closed or relocated due to disasters. Remember
telephone lines may be affected by emergencies. Administrators or others may consider leaving
an outgoing message on their answering machines or voice mails and communicating via the
media.
 Communicating with families: You need to know how you will communicate with families if
you and the children are evacuated to another location. How will you let families know where
they can find their children? It is also important to know how you will let families know if your
program is forced to close. Part of the plan should include who will contact families, what will
be communicated, and how ratio will be maintained.
1.7f. Practicing Your Plan
Once a plan is in place, practicing it can help relieve anxiety and help you feel prepared
should the real event occur. It can also help you and the children remain calm in the face of
disaster. Remember to always take your sign-in sheet, emergency medications, and emergency
contact information with you during all evacuations and practices. Your evacuation plans (fire,
tornado, lockdown) should be practiced at least monthly. Other emergency plans should be
practiced at least yearly. Review of your emergency plan and evacuation plan must be included
in new employee orientation and training.
References;
HeadStart.ECLKC.https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/about-us/article/importance-schedules-routines
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