Welcome to FEMA's Be a Hero curriculum, an empowering educational journey into emergency preparedness! This standards-based, cross-curricular program is designed to provide students in grades 6 through 8 with the knowledge, awareness, and life-saving skills needed to prepare for a variety of emergencies and disasters. By engaging in three project-based lessons, students will gain a personal and meaningful understanding of disaster preparedness by creating solutions for real-world hazards. All inquiry-based activities lead to important learning through independent and collaborative work, research, investigations, discussions, and presentations. Using communication skills and creativity, they will generate awareness of emergency preparedness among friends, families, and the community at large.
Welcome to FEMA's Be a Hero curriculum, an empowering educational journey into emergency preparedness! This standards-based, cross-curricular program is designed to provide students in grades 9 through 12 with the knowledge, awareness, and life-protecting skills needed to prepare for a variety of emergencies and disasters. By engaging in three project-based lessons, students will gain a personal and meaningful understanding of disaster preparedness by creating solutions for real-world problems. All inquiry-based activities lead to important learning through independent and collaborative work, research, investigations, discussions, and presentations. Using communication skills and creativity, they will generate awareness of emergency preparedness among friends, families, and the community at large.
Welcome to FEMA's Be a Hero curriculum, an empowering educational journey into emergency preparedness! This standards-based, cross-curricular program is designed to provide students in grades 1 and 2 with the knowledge, awareness, and life-saving skills needed to prepare for a variety of emergencies and disasters. By engaging in three inquiry-based lessons, students will gain a personal and meaningful understanding of disaster preparedness in the context of real-world hazards. All learning activities lead to important learning through collaborative fact-finding and sharing. Using communication skills and creativity, they will generate awareness of emergency preparedness among friends, families, and the school community.
This document summarizes research and evaluations in the field of youth disaster preparedness and education. Findings based on this literature review are presented in three principal categories: individual/youth preparedness education, school programs and curricula, and community engagement for youth preparedness. The report then concludes with recommended practices for youth disaster education and research to help achieve greater levels of preparedness activities among children and their families. In 2006, 73.7 million children were under the age of 18 in the United States, and it is projected that this number will grow to 74.4 million children by the year 2010, constituting more than a quarter of the entire U.S. population (National Commission on Children and Disasters, 2009b; U.S. Census Bureau, 2004). Additionally, 14.1 million children live in poverty, which constitutes 35 percent of the poor population, causing them to be disproportionately affected by disasters (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2009). At the end of the 20th century, an estimated 66.5 million children each year were affected by a disaster (Penrose and Takaki, 2006), and this number will most likely increase, owing to shifts within society and large climate changes. Despite this vulnerability, however, scant attention has been given to this particular population regarding emergency preparedness and planning. Both researchers and practitioners have traditionally overlooked children's needs and experiences in a disaster, along with their role in disaster preparedness education and training. Scholars and professionals have also failed to explore further the importance of youth disaster education programs and their particular impact and effectiveness on shaping children's perceptions of what to do in a disaster event. According to Anderson (2005), disaster research on children has been severely lacking because children do not carry out research themselves or set a research agenda. In addition to the lack of disaster research and scholarship, there is less of a focus in the practice of disaster preparedness for children as compared to adults, as emergency managers and practitioners have neglected to pay special attention to youth regarding education and training programs. According to Ronan and Johnston (2001b), even though hazard education programs are relatively widespread, published research on their effectiveness is virtually nonexistent. Additionally, children are not placed on par with adults; even though State and local emergency managers are required to address the needs of pets in their emergency plans, they are not required to meet the needs of children in those same plans. Therefore, it is evident and imperative that more action be undertaken to ensure the proper education of children so that they are aware of what to do in the event of any disaster, regardless of its magnitude and scale. Recognizing the need for research to evaluate the current state of disaster preparedness education and research regarding youth and children, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) commissioned a review of the literature related to emergency preparedness education for youth. The objectives of this review were two-fold: 1. To identify research and evaluations of youth education interventions for emergency preparedness; and 2. To use the findings to develop recommendations that can be used to assess current programs and to enhance the provision of youth preparedness education programs.
Welcome to FEMA's Be a Hero curriculum, an empowering educational journey into emergency preparedness! This standards-based, cross-curricular program is designed to provide students in grades 3 through 5 with the knowledge, awareness, and life-saving skills needed to prepare for a variety of emergencies and disasters. By engaging in three inquiry-based lessons, students will gain a personal and meaningful understanding of disaster preparedness in the context of real-world hazards. All learning activities lead to important learning through collaborative fact-finding and sharing. Using communication skills and creativity, they will generate awareness of emergency preparedness among friends, families, and the school community.
Preparedness, Response and Recovery Considerations for Children and Families is the summary of a workshop convened in June, 2013 by the Institute of Medicine Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events to discuss disaster preparedness, response, and resilience relative to the needs of children and families, including children with special health care needs. Traditional and non-traditional medical and public health stakeholders from across federal, state, and local government health care coalitions, community organizations, school districts, child care providers, hospitals, private health care providers, insurers, academia, and other partners in municipal planning met to review existing tools and frameworks that can be modified to include children's needs; identify child-serving partners and organizations that can be leveraged in planning to improve outcomes for children; highlight best practices in resilience and recovery strategies for children; and raise awareness of the need to integrate children's considerations throughout local and state emergency plans. Communities across the United States face the threat of emergencies and disasters almost every day, natural and man-made, urban and rural, large and small. Although children represent nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population, current state and local disaster preparedness plans often do not include specific considerations for children and families. The preparedness and resilience of communities related to children will require a systems framework for disaster preparedness across traditional and non-traditional medical and public health stakeholders, including community organizations, schools, and other partners in municipal planning. This report examines resilience strategies that lead to successful recovery in children after a disaster and discusses current approaches and interventions to improve recovery in children.
Prepare your children to survive in the real world! Today’s children can recognize over 1,000 corporate logos but can’t identify 10 plants native to their region. They live in an artificial world—one where they spend less than seven minutes per day playing outdoors and over seven hours per day staring at a digital device. But the threats our children face are real, from random violence and terrorism to natural, manmade, and accidental disasters. What skills do today’s children have to prepare them to face threats of violence and disaster? For that matter, what skills and resources do their parents have? Playful Preparedness is a one-of-a-kind preparedness book, packed with 26 games and dozens of activities to help teach children situational awareness, life-saving preparedness skills, and the survival mindset so that they can survive in the real world. Read Playful Preparedness today and help your children to become prepared—for life. For more in-depth knowledge about preparedness, read my new book, START PREPPING!
