Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/after-disaster-strikes-helping-your-community-recover/5022040/
Part 3 of a 3-Part Series on Child Care Emergency Preparedness and ResponseChild care is at the heart of every community. This is never more apparent than after disaster strikes and the recovery of caregivers and child care facilities are critical to helping get a community back on its feet. When child care programs are closed, not only does the business lose money, but parents have to miss work and children lack the routine that is so critical to their getting back to ‘normal.’ Child care provides children, families, and staff with a stable, familiar environment around which to organize life. When that service is altered by disaster, the whole community suffers and recovery is delayed.
A disaster can have a profound impact on children and adults and can leave us feeling powerless and uncertain about the future. Some children and families may have been exposed to extreme danger, may be coping with significant losses, or may have been uprooted and displaced from their homes and usual supports. As a caregiver, you play an important role in comforting children, and in helping them sort out their thoughts and feelings surrounding the disaster and its impact on their families and community. In the ...