Niagara Region Children's Services has created this Emergency Response Plan to assist you and the staff at your child care program so that you can effectively respond to emergencies. The Plan has been developed as a recommended tool that any child care centre may use to create its own Emergency Response Plan. Please note that any procedural information that you plan to implement from this Emergency Response Plan should first be brought forward to your Authority in Charge (i.e. your Board of Directors, Operator, etc.)

The Plan consists of three sections:

1. User Guide - this guide lays the groundwork for creating an Emergency Response Plan by:

• helping you to identify who is responsible for certain preparations and procedures
• helping to prepare you for emergencies
• prompting you to consider your actions in advance of an emergency

2. Procedures Manual - tells you exactly what to do in specific emergencies with:

• details on who should do what
• instructions on when it is appropriate to stay at the child care centre and when it is best to evacuate
• information to help you identify who is responsible for decision-making in various situations

3. Templates - allows you to choose and complete applicable templates to create your own emergency plan regardless of the size of your child care program.

If you have any questions about the Emergency Response Plan or you would like to receive the 3 sections of the Emergency Response Plan in a Microsoft Word document so that you can edit and make changes to the documents in order to fit your child care program, please email childrensservices@niagararegion.ca