Emergency Preparedness and Response

Emergency preparedness and response (EPR) rules went into effect July 1, 2015. The rules are designed to assist licensed child care programs to be adequately prepared to respond to the needs of children and others in the event of disasters and emergencies. The new rules require:

• Shelter-in-place or lockdown drills completed quarterly in addition to monthly fire drills.
• One staff person / FCCH operator must complete the Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care training
• Licensed facilities are required to have an EPR Plan. The Plan must include:
  • written procedures for accounting for children and adults
  • how children will be transported
  • communication plan
  • how the program will meet the nutritional and health needs of the children
  • relocation and reunification plan
  • emergency telephone numbers
  • evacuation diagrams
  • date of last revision of the Plan
  • needs of children who are non-mobile and with special needs
  • Location of the Ready to Go File
• Trained staff must review the EPR Plan annually or when information changes to ensure it is current
• Trained staff must review EPR Plan with staff during orientation and annually
• Substitutes and volunteers in ratio and additional caregivers who are present must be informed of the Plan and its location.
• Emergency evacuation plan is no longer an enhanced policy option.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Rules: What is Required?
Monitoring EPR in Child Care

EPR in Child Care Training

Timeframes 
Current programs 
Designated individuals must complete the EPR in Child Care training by July 1, 2017. 

New programs 
Designated individual must complete the EPR in Child Care training within one year of the effective date of the initial license.

* If a trained person leaves a program, the program has four months to have another trained person on staff.

Training Locations
The Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) in Child Care training will be offered statewide and regularly over the next two years. To find a training go to the EPR Calendar on the CCRR Council website. You will see the link on the top right corner of the home page. You will also find the trainings on the websites of the CCR&R agency or Partnership for Children nearest you. Lastly, you may contact one of the qualified EPR trainers.

Prospective EPR in Child Care Trainers
The NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center is offering the EPR in Child Care Train-the-Trainer course on a routine basis. The course is taught online through the UNC Sakai distance learning system. There is no charge for the course. In selecting participants, priority is given to Child Care Health Consultants (CCHCs) and regional Child Care Resource and Referral technical assistance professionals. All applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and be approved by the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) to become an EPR in Child Caretrainer. EPR in Child Care trainers are expected to teach the EPR in Child Care training at least three times a year for two years. To be considered for the course, email the Application and the Request for Approval form to Mary Cleary at clearym@unc.edu.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan Template

NC Emergency Management offered to develop a standard EPR template that would be used statewide by all licensed child care programs. The NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center provided content for this template along with the Division, so that it aligns with the newEPR in Child Care training and the EPR rules. 

The Child Care Rules state that programs must use the EPR template provided by the Division. Programs will access the EPR template from the NC Risk Management Portal, which houses emergency planning tools for a variety of hazards. 

Timeframes 
Once the designated staff has successfully completed the EPR in Child Care course, then that individual must complete the EPR Plan template within four months of completing the course. 

Accessing the EPR Template
To access the EPR Template, the trained staff must have an NCID. You may register for an NCID at the following link: https://ncid.nc.gov/

If you need help getting an NCID, here are detailed instructions for obtaining an NCID.

Once you get an NCID, you will access the EPR template on the NC Risk Management Portal website. Use the access instructions once you are on the NC Risk Management Portal website. 


EPR Forms

• Emergency Drill Log - Centers
• Emergency Drill Log - Family Child Care Homes
• Ready-to-Go File Checklist
• Ready-to-Go Kit Checklist
• Staff EPR Responsibilities Checklist
• Weather and Natural Disaster Facility Preparation Checklist for Child Care
• Drill Checklists
  • Fire Drill Checklist
  • Lockdown Drill Checklist
  • Off-Site Evacuation by Vehicle Checklist
  • Off-Site Evacuation by Walking Checklist

Resources
For questions related to EPR Plan content, contact your EPR in Child Care trainer, Child Care Licensing Consultant or the Division of Child Development and Early Education at 1-800-859-0829.

For questions related to the EPR in Child Care training/trainers, contact Mary Cleary at the NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center: 919-707-5679 

For any other EPR in child care questions, email dcdee.epr@dhhs.nc.gov 

How to Transfer an EPR Plan to a New NCID

Emergency Preparedness, NC Health and Safety Bulletin

EPR Plan Preparation Checklist

Emergency Preparedness and Response Resource List 

EPR Questions and Answers