Pandemic Flu

How You Can Prepare:
Preschools & Child Care

Like schools, preschools and child care providers play a role in preventing seasonal flu by promoting vaccination and handwashing, and by reminding families to keep children home when they are sick. See How to Prevent Catching and Spreading Germs for free posters and classroom resources that you can use to help teach healthy habits to children and parents.

In a moderate or severe influenza pandemic, interruptions in child care services may cause conflicts for working parents that could result in high absenteeism in workplaces.

Planning Resources

www.pandemicflu.gov
Department of Health and Human Services. Checklists, planning guides and sample plans for preschools and child care providers.

ReadyCaSchools
California Department of Public Health. Free multimedia training program for administrators, educational and classroom resources, and planning tools for preschools.

Pandemic Flu Kit for Child Care Providers
Contra Costa Health Services. A compilation of educational and classroom resources and planning tools for preschools and child care providers.

Childcare and Preschool Pandemic Influenza Planning 
Fairfax County Health Department. Overview of the main considerations for preschools and child care providers.

Emergency Response Planning for Child Care Providers 
National Association of City and County Health Officials and Montgomery County. Training toolkit prepares providers for emergency events, including how to to help children cope with trauma.

Sample Plans

Disaster Planning Self-Assessment Guide for Child Care Centers (California) 

North Carolina Division of Child Development - Emergency Preparedness  

Page updated May 13, 2008