Ready Kids - Teacher and Parent Toolkit

The Ready Georgia Teacher and Parent Toolkit provides resources to help encourage children (and their families) to prepare for the unexpected. Although it is designed to complement the third, fourth and fifth-grade health and/or science curriculum, it can be used by any group or organization that works with children.

Here are some ideas for promoting emergency preparedness within your school community:

Make it a priority at the beginning of each school year.

Teachers, on the day your school completes its first fire drill, send home an email or a flyer that helps parents familiarize themselves with the protective actions schools may take during an emergency. Stress that while all public schools are required to have a safety plan, the response to an emergency may vary, depending on the situation. For security reasons, some procedures are not shared with the public until an incident occurs in order to protect the safety of students and first responders. Parents, ask your child’s teacher about the school’s notification procedures at the beginning of each year and ensure your emergency contact information is current.

Give a short presentation at PTA/PTO meetings.

Use resources in this toolkit and the Get Involved toolkit to educate parents. This also allows parents the opportunity to ask questions and give input.

Publish emergency preparedness information and tips in the school/grade/classroom newsletter.

Whether it comes out weekly or once a semester, it will give parents a chance to practice disaster drills or learn more about emergency preparedness steps with their children.