MADISON, Wis. – It’s never too early for kids to learn what to do during an emergency. September is Preparedness Month, and ReadyWisconsin encourages parents and educators to take time this month to teach children to better prepare for the unexpected.
“Disasters can be scary for kids, but learning how to prepare for tornadoes and floods can help ease some of those fears,” said Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle. “We encourage everyone to take an active role in helping children understand the potential dangers in their community and involve them in planning how to respond to an emergency.”
Parents and other family members can help children prepare by talking about what to do if there is an emergency when they are at home, school or out in the community. Make sure they know who to contact and identify a safe meeting place. They can also help children create an emergency supply kit and identify what items should go inside.
You can find tips for creating emergency plans and kits at https://readywisconsin.wi.gov.
The classroom is another place where students can learn to prepare. Educators who interact with fourth- and fifth-graders in Wisconsin are encouraged to offer students the state’s Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) program this spring. Over the past decade, STEP has helped over 90,000 children in the state learn about the importance of emergency planning.
This curriculum, developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is available for free to educators who agree to teach the STEP core curriculum. Participants are also provided with free materials to help students build their own emergency kits.
Educators interested in offering the STEP program during spring 2023 can find registration information online at https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/step/. Registration is now open and runs until December 15th. Program materials will be sent to educators in January 2023.
The STEP program is funded with financial support from AT&T. Since 2012, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have provided $110,000 to support the STEP program in Wisconsin.
For more safety tips follow ReadyWisconsin on Facebook (www.facebook.com/readywisconsin) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/readywisconsin).
