Child care and preschool programs can help protect the health of their staff and the children and families they serve. Interruptions in child care services during an influenza (flu) pandemic may cause conflicts for working parents that could result in high absenteeism in workplaces. Some of that absenteeism could be expected to affect personnel and workplaces that are critical to the emergency response system.

Likewise, K-12 local educational agencies (LEAs) play an integral role in protecting the health and safety of their district's staff, students and their families. Building a strong relationship with the local health department is critical for developing a meaningful plan. The key planning activities in this checklist build upon existing contingency plans recommended for school districts by the U.S. Department of Education (Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide For Schools and Communities (PDF) (1.56MB).

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed checklists to assist programs that care for children and LEAs in developing and/or improving plans to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. Many of these steps can also help in other types of emergencies.

Further information on pandemic influenza can be found at www.pandemicflu.gov.

 Your regional AHEC office is ready to assist you

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