Preparedness for Childhood Educators

Educators have expertise and extended contact with children and are often a key support in preparing them for natural disasters.

You may act as a first responder during a disaster, and also play a key role in identifying those children who may require additional assistance in their recovery. Educators often play a role in re-establishing routines post-event and supporting post-disaster recovery. The following resources are designed for teachers and child care professionals working in areas affected by natural disaster.

Natural disasters like storms, cyclones, floods or fire can be very frightening and upsetting for babies and young children. Playing a therapeutic game or reading a story with a caring adult can help a young child work through the scary experiences and ‘big feelings’.

Birdie’s Tree is a suite of resources to help children prepare for, cope with and recover from a natural disaster or disruptive event.

Birdie’s Tree particularly helps support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of:

expectant and new parents
babies
preschool-age children
children in early primary school
parents, families, educators and other carers for young children.

Factsheet: How Birdie's Tree Can Help

Birdie's Tree resources are available across the Southern Downs in schools, kindies, playgroups, public libraries, evacuation centres, and online.

Visit Birdie's Tree or search "Birdie's Tree"

Emergencies and disasters are extremely stressful and it is normal to feel overwhelmed. Children, even infants, can also be affected. They depend on the adults around them for safety and security, and will need reassurance, care, and opportunities to share their feelings.

The Community Trauma Toolkit contains resources to help and support adults and children before, during and after a disaster or traumatic event. It will help you understand some of the impacts of disaster and how you can help lessen these impacts.

These resources provide a starting point for you to help children navigate the different stages of a disaster.

Factsheet: Community Trauma Toolkit Overview

Visit the Community Trauma Toolkit for Educators

Children are positive change agents

Disaster resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, adapt to and recover from the impact of emergencies. Practical skills that contribute to disaster resilience can be learned and practised. Children who participate in disaster resilience building activities have been shown to be better equipped to deal with an emergency.

The Pillowcase Program was originally inspired by events during Hurricane Katrina in the US. While evacuating campus, students of a local University used pillowcases to carry their cherished and basic possessions. After hearing this, American Red Cross staff developed the concept of using a pillowcase as an emergency kit. The program quickly grew into a preparedness education program that has since become known as the Pillowcase Program.

Delivered by Red Cross volunteers and staff, the workshop encourages children to be active participants in their own emergency preparedness. The content is useful for all kinds of emergencies and includes activities to highlight the importance of being prepared. Pillowcase helps to reduce real and imagined fears and has successfully built children’s stress management skills.

Aimed at students in Years 3 and 4 (ages 8-10), the one hour workshop involves engaging discussions and interactive activities to help students:

understand and discuss the importance of being prepared
prepare their mind for the thoughts and feelings that may arise before, during and after an emergency
know what to pack in an emergency kit
each student is then given a pillowcase to decorate and take home, to start their own personal emergency kit.

Learn more or Register your interest in a Pillowcase Program workshop for your school
or contact: QLD_Preparedness@redcross.org.au

SafeSpace is an integrated community safety education program designed for teachers working with students in years 5 and 6 in Queensland schools.

Its purpose is to promote:

an understanding of the responsibilities of young people as safe and active members of their community; and
an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the emergency services in supporting a safer community in different environments throughout Queensland.