Appendix D: Child Care
Child care settings may be affected by environmental health hazards such as contaminated drinking water, mold, poor air quality, or structural damage, which can pose serious risks to young children who are more sensitive to these exposures. Disruptions to sanitation, heating/cooling, or safe outdoor play spaces can further impact children's health.
Types & Definitions
Center-based child care operates in a dedicated facility that is usually licensed to meet state regulations and standards for health, safety, and staffing. Depending on the provider, center-based child care may provide care to infant through school-aged children and may offer before and after school care.
A faith-based child care provider is a center-based program affiliated with a religious organization that offers child care services. These facilities may differ from other center-based child care by incorporating spiritual or religious values into its curriculum or environment.
Home-based child care providers offer care services in a private residence, typically caring for a smaller number of children in a more intimate, home-like setting.
Informal child care, also known as family, friend, and neighbor care, refers to child care outside the licensed child care systems, often in the caregiver's or child's home. This includes care provided by nannies and au pairs.
Specialty child care includes programs designed to meet the unique needs of specific populations, such as children with disabilities, chronic health conditions, or those from multilingual, military, or migrant families.
Partners
State, Tribal, Territorial, or Local Partners
State Human Services Agency
Territorial Departments of Health & Services
State Department of Health or Environmental Health Division
State Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agency
Tribal Child Care Programs (under Tribal CCDF or Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
Local Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs)
Federal Partners
Administration for Children & Families (ACF)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Non-Governmental Partners
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education
Methods of Engagement
Focus Groups by Provider Type: Organize separate small-group discussions with each type of provider to understand their unique concerns, operating environments, and post-disaster challenges. This allows providers to speak freely among peers who share similar circumstances.
Surveys with Tailored Questions: Design and distribute brief, easy-to-complete surveys (digital or paper) tailored to each provider type. Include questions about physical safety, environmental conditions, disruptions to care, and needs related to children's health after the disaster.
Partner with Local Child Care Networks or Resource & Referral Agencies: These organizations already have established relationships with a wide range of child care providers and can help convene meetings, distribute materials, and elevate the voices of smaller or underrepresented programs (especially informal and home-based care).
Listening Sessions at Existing Provider Meetings: Join standing meetings or training sessions hosted by licensing agencies, early childhood coalitions, or local nonprofits to conduct listening sessions with providers where they already gather.
Community Mapping or Needs Walkthroughs: Invite providers to participate in walkthroughs or mapping exercises of their facilities or neighborhoods to identify hazards or vulnerabilities post-earthquake. This can be especially useful for home-based, informal, and faith-based providers.
One-on-One Interviews: Conduct brief, semi-structured interviews with a sample of providers where group participation may be less feasible due to varied or irregular operations.
Language- and Culture-Appropriate Outreach: Ensure engagement materials and sessions are available in multiple languages and reflect the cultural context of providers, particularly for informal care and those serving multilingual families.
Child Care Recovery Advisory Panel: Form a short-term advisory group with at least one representative from each provider type to provide ongoing input into the assessment findings and recovery planning.
Considerations
After a disaster, families depend on the resumption of child care to return to work, complete home and community repairs, and regain a sense of normalcy. They count on their child care provider to keep their children safe.
A significant portion of child care is unlicensed and unregulated and is therefore unlikely to participate in this assessment process. Mitigation actions or public information campaigns should consider the needs of all types of care providers.