Childcare planning guide

Any type of organisation that manages preschool type facilities have an obligation to prepare plans that detail procedures to cope in times of emergencies. While there is no legislative obligation, the Gisborne Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group has, under the CDEM Act 2002, included in the Districts Group Plan a requirement that you shall have a plan.

There is no requirement for any childcare centre to have a survival kit let alone one that is sufficient for 3 days. Your Plan however needs to detail how could look after some of your children over night. In the recent Christchurch events the longest period any centre held children before they were picked up was 6 hours.

Below is a link to the National ECE Planning guidelines that have been developed by the CDEM and Education sectors through 2011, and published December 2011. The guidelines provide a comprehensive step by step planning process and information to prepare your staff and facility for an emergency. The districts childcare centres currently have a generic plan format, we suggest as the plans are reviewed they change to the new format.

National link to Early Childhood Education Services planning guide

For more information contact our Emergency Management Office