Tornado Safety in Child Care Centers

More than 1,000 tornadoes touch down each year in the United States. The most dangerous month for tornadoes is in April. A tornado watch indicates a tornado is possible, while a tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or is highly likely to touch down. In a child care center, you must prepare the staff and children ahead of time to know what to do in case a tornado warning is sounded.

  1. Safe Location

    • Designate a "safe location" inside the facility. Avoid any large rooms that do not have any span to them, such as gyms. Choose a room on the lowest floor and preferably does not have any exterior walls. The location must be as far from glass as possible. If there are no safe places in the building, consider an alternate location such as a building next door.

    Practicing and Counting

    • Conduct drills each month to practice the evacuation process. If there are multiple routes, use one route for one month and another in the next so all possibilities are covered. Bright Horizons, a worldwide system of childcare facilities, recommends doing the drill at different times of the day, including nap time, for maximum preparedness. Before heading to the safe location, conduct a head count of all staff and children to ensure that no one is left behind. Bring along an attendance sheet to double-check. Remind the children during drills they will need to stay calm during the emergency. Teach them to get down on their knees, crouch forward and cover their heads during the storm. This will give them the best protection from any flying objects.

    Contact Information

    • Keep the contact information for each child's parent or legal guardian in the safe location if possible or keep it in an easily accessible location that you can grab in a hurry, such as in a folder, binder or laptop that travels easily. Keep a list of the children's names in the safe location.

    Emergency Items

    • Teachers should have a portable radio with brand new batteries that can be taken to the safe location. Other items, as recommended by Washington County, Minnesota disaster guidelines for preparedness in day cares, include a flashlight, extra batteries, thick blankets to help shield children from broken glass, and a first aid kit. All of these should be kept in the safe area and checked periodically to make sure they are in working condition.

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