Save the Children

Every working day, the safety of nearly 68 million U.S. children is in the hands of school officials and caregivers. Most parents assume that when they drop their kids off for the day, they will be safe if disaster strikes. But two-thirds of our nation’s states do not require basic emergency preparedness regulations for child care facilities and schools.

For the fifth consecutive year, Save the Children assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on four basic disaster preparedness and safety standards for children in child care and at school.

In addition to evaluating every state’s basic emergency preparedness for children, this year’s report highlights a critical standard which every state should have in place to address the needs of the most vulnerable children attending child care—infants and toddlers, as well as children with disabilities and those with access or functional needs. More than half of the states fail to account for these children in their emergency preparedness plans.

The Results Are In: 

• Over the last five years, the number of states meeting all four standards has increased from four in 2008 to 17 in 2012.
• While 17 states now meet all four basic preparedness standards; 33 states and the District of Columbia still do not.
• Twenty-seven states do not require all regulated child care facilities to have a plan that accounts for kids with disabilities and those with access and functional needs.
• Five states—Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Montana—fail to meet any of the preparedness standards for regulated child care facilities or schools, putting many children at risk.

“We as a nation have a moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable during disasters. Children—especially those who are too young to protect themselves or who have disabilities that require additional assistance—are counting on us to ensure their safety and well-being. And yet, more than half of the states’ emergency preparedness regulations fail to account for the needs of those who are most at risk of injury and neglect. That’s simply unacceptable.” 

– Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President, Save the Children’s U.S. Programs.

Links:

• Read the full report
• Explore the USA Disaster Readiness Map

At the core of our mission is creating innovative programs to create lasting change in the lives of children. One of these is HEART, Save the Children’s visionary education program, which brings the proven power of artistic expression to children in need around the world, helping them cope with traumatic events and learn the critical skills they need to reach their true potential. HEART changes children’s lives.

Save the Children has earned a global reputation for implementing state-of-the-art programs promoting the healthy development of some of the world’s most marginalized children. HEART is one of those programs. Based on extensive child development research proving that artistic expression has powerful therapeutic and educational value, especially for children in need, we aim to fully integrate HEART into all of our early childhood, education and emergency response programming.

We are creating something visionary — and through the power of the arts, achieving real and lasting change in children’s lives.

HEART is designed especially for young children in need, ages 3-14. Children struggling to grow up, trapped in the cycle of extreme poverty and limited opportunity, often compounded by trauma, like an emergency, conflict, violence, or the loss of a parent or other loved ones to HIV/AIDS. Children – some so young they can’t articulate their pain – at risk of losing hope, without ever experiencing joy.

Save the Children develops a culturally relevant, sustainable HEART curriculum to meet children’s unique needs within each community we serve. Then we train local teachers and other caregivers in the proven HEART approach, including:
• guiding children in expressive arts activities
• engaging the arts as a means for self-expression and critical skill development
• recognizing and supporting children who need special help
• involving children’s parents and communities in the process.

HEART embraces a variety of expressive arts forms. Our children draw, paint, sing, sculpt, act, dance, tell stories, write poetry, play music and more. We incorporate local arts traditions and use local arts resources. We also work with local partners and advocate with local governments for improved arts education.

HEART has been piloted in six places – El Salvador, Haiti, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal and the West Bank – changing the lives of more than 10,000 children, with remarkable results:
• healing – Children develop the ability to express and regulate their emotions, improve self-control and self-esteem, recover and build resilience – so they’re ready to learn.
• learning – Children develop the cognitive skills they need to learn – perception, attention, memory, logic and reasoning – in addition to language, social and physical skills.

Children who participate in HEART are consistently more expressive and engaged in learning. They like going to school and transition more successfully to higher levels of education. Some children experience hope, and even joy, for the first time in their lives.

Links:

• More about Heart

• Download the full report (PDF)