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Changes in State Regulations
Licensing Regulations:
State Child Care Licensing Agencies may have changed their child care licensing regulations to assist child care programs and family child care providers with enrolling and serving children from evacuated families. NCCIC has a directory of State licensing agencies in the State Contacts section of its Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=licensing.
The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care has the full text of all State child care licensing regulations on its Web site at http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/states.htm.
Prekindergarten Program Requirements:
To assist prekindergarten programs with enrolling and serving evacuees, some States may change their requirements for prekindergarten programs. The information about licensing regulations may apply to prekindergarten programs, but there may also be changes made by the State education agency. The Council for Chief State School Officers' Web site has links to each State's education agency at http://www.ccsso.org/chief_state_school_officers/state_education_agencies/index.cfm.
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Effects of natural disasters on children
Natural disasters can leave children of all ages feeling confused and scared. Whether children have personally experienced trauma or have merely seen the event on television or heard it discussed by adults, they struggle to make sense of what they are seeing and hearing. It is important for parents, caregivers, and teachers to help children make sense of what is happening. Adults also need to be informed and ready to help if reactions to stress are observed in children's behavior. The following organizations have information for adults working with children who have experienced traumatic events.
Resources to Help Cope with Natural and Other Disasters, by the American Academy of Pediatrics, at http://www.aap.org/new/disasterresources.htm, and includes links to the following resources: Helping Children Cope with Natural Disasters, compiled by NCCIC, at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/disasters.html, lists organizations that have resources that may be useful to parents, caregivers, teachers, and administrators as they help children and youth deal with stress related to natural disasters. - The American Red Cross has prepared Helping Young Children Cope with Trauma, at http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/childtrauma.html, with
information to assist parents and child care providers helping children recover
from a traumatic event.
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Federal agency information and resources for child care programs and family child care providers
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Food and Nutrition Services
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is responsible for providing nutrition assistance for disaster-affected areas requiring a Federal response. Contact information for the USDA headquarters and regional offices is available on the Web at http://www.fns.usda.gov/disasters/response/contacts.htm.
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Rebuilding, expanding, or starting a child care center or family child care program
Small businesses planning to rebuild, expand, or start a new program in response to the destruction caused by a disaster can take advantage of Federal and State programs and national organizations that offer funding and services. In addition, child care businesses—private and nonprofit, centers and family homes, licensed and license-exempt—need to be part of State and community plans for economic relief and reconstruction.
General information about starting a child care program is available in the resource guide Starting and Operating a Child Care Business in English at http:// nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/startup.pdf and Spanish [Empezando y Operando un Negocio de Cuidado de Nios] at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/startup_sp.pdf.
Federal Resources for Small Businesses
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers disaster assistance to homeowners, renters, and business owners who suffer losses due to disasters. Apply on the Web at http://www.fema.gov/ or call the registration line at 800-621-3362. Individuals with hearing- or speech-impairments should call (TTY) 800-462-7585. Multilingual operators are available.
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The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers a wide variety of loan programs. For disaster information, contact SBA at 800-659-2955 or on the Web at http://www.sba.gov/disaster_recov/index.html. For general SBA information, contact SBA at 800-359-2227 or on the Web at http://www.sba.gov/.
GovBenefits.gov is a screening tool to help individuals and businesses find government benefits. It lists benefits individuals and businesses may be eligible to receive and provides information about how to apply for those programs. Additional information is available on the Web in English at http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_en.portal and in Spanish at http://www.govbenefits.gov/govbenefits_es.portal.
State relief resources for small businesses in affected states
National organizations
The following is a sample of organizations that provide grants or other assistance for child care providers and communities recovering from disasters.
Collaboration with planning for redevelopment in communities
The following resources have information that will help child care businesses participate in community efforts to recover from the affects of Hurricane Katrina.
Rural Development, Rural Housing Service: The Community Facilities Loan Program (CFLP), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), makes loans to develop community facilities for public use in rural areas and towns of not more than 20,000 people. For additional information, contact the USDA's Rural Housing Service at 202-720-1490 or on the Web at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/index.html The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides States with annual direct grants, which they in turn award to smaller communities and rural areas for use in revitalizing neighborhoods, expanding affordable housing and economic opportunities, and/or improving community facilities and services, principally to benefit low- and moderate-income persons. Additional information is available on the Web at http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/index.cfm.
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Support for emotional needs of child care providers
It is important for providers to remember to take care of themselves and to monitor their own emotions during difficult times, in order to be a better resource for children and families.
A toll-free hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) has been established for people in crisis by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Callers will be connected to a network of local crisis counseling centers across the country to receive counseling and mental health referrals from trained staff. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Resources on emergency preparedness for child care providers
Emergency Preparedness for Child Care Programs, a resource list compiled by NCCIC, at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/disasterprep.html, includes information about a sample of Federal agencies, national organizations, and publications that have information for child care providers on preparing for emergencies.
The National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA) has developed a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation for regulated child and adult care programs and regulatory agencies on emergency preparedness for disasters—Emergency Preparedness: Planning for Child and Adult Care Programs, by Judy Collins and Jim Loving. This resource is available on the NARA Web site at http://www.nara.affiniscape.com/associations/4734/files/Emergencypreparedness.ppt.
Additional information about NARA is available at http://www.naralicensing.org/.
The American Red Cross offers information about Hurricane Awareness on the Web at http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/0305hurricane/index.html, including materials on hurricane preparedness, and what to do before a storm, during a storm, and after a storm. It provides additional resources to assist in general emergency preparedness at home, school, work, and community at http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_239_,00.html.
The Training section of the FEMA Web site provides resources for teachers and parents at http://www.fema.gov/about/training/index.shtm, including curriculum and activities and other disaster-related resources.
Disaster Training International helps adults learn to prepare children for disasters, to help children deal with disasters when they happen, and to respond to children’s needs in the wake of disasters. Disaster Training International provides training for adults who work with children which emphasizes practical suggestions and ideas for addressing issues related to natural disasters or human initiated violence, such as terrorism. Information is available on the Web at http://www.disastertraining.org/index.htm, including several articles related to emergency preparedness and information about the publication Developing an Emergency Management Plan, A Workbook for Programs Working with Young Children (2001), by Beryl Cheal.
State Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Documents for Child Care Providers
The following includes State documents available on the Web which address emergency and disaster preparedness for child care providers. If your State has similar resources on the Web, please share them with us at info@nccic.org.
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Federal resources on emergency planning and response
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Resources for providers serving evacuees who speak languages other than English [Recursos para proveedores sirviendo a familias y niños que hablan otros idiomas fuera del inglés]
Child Care Aware
Una iniciativa sin fines de lucro dedicada a ayudar a padres a encontrar la mejor información disponible sobre la ubicación de servicios de cuidado de niños de alta calidad y recursos relacionados en su comunidad.
http://www.childcareaware.org/sp/
A nonprofit initiative committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community.
Cruz Roja Americana
Responde y dedica todos sus recursos a las actividades de socorro humanitario. La siguiente página Web proporciona una variedad de recursos para los damnificados por el huracán Katrina.
http://www.cruzrojaamericana.org/index.asp
American Red Cross
Responds and devotes every resource to the humanitarian relief effort. This Web site provides a variety of resources for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
General Emergency Help:
To obtain disaster assistance information, affected victims may call 800-621-FEMA or 800-462-7585 for those with speech or hearing impairments. FEMA teleregistration lines are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Multilingual operators are available to assist disaster victims.
Applicants can also register via the Internet at http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18834.
Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos
Ayuda del Huracán par las Escuelas
El departamento de educación establece un nuevo apoyo a las familias y zonas afectadas por el huracán Katrina. El Departamento de Educación propone aportar hasta $2.6 mil millones en financiamiento para ayudar a las escuelas primarias, secundarias y postsecundarias. http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/esp-0916-factsheet.html
U.S. Department of Education (USDE)
Hurricane Help for Schools
The USDE initiative provides support for families and areas affected by Katrina. USDE is proposing up to $2.6 billion in funding for elementary, secondary, and post-secondary school relief. http://hurricanehelpforschools.gov/index.html
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