City of Manvel

By Erin Streeter, Director, Ready Campaign

Emergencies can happen every day – from scraped knees and broken bones to house fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, but when you are prepared for these types of emergencies it can give you and your family a peace of mind. Preparing your family and talking to your children about emergencies can be easy if you follow the three simple steps from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Ready Campaign: 1) Get an Emergency Supply Kit; 2) Make a Family Emergency Plan; and 3) Be Informed about the types of emergencies that can happen in your area and their appropriate responses.

To help you get started, DHS in partnership with The Advertising Council developed Ready Kids, a family-friendly tool to help parents and teachers educate children, ages 8-12, about emergencies and how they can help their families better prepare.  Ready Kids is an extension of the successful Ready Campaign, a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural disasters.

The Ready Kids Web site at ready.gov features fun activities such as a Scavenger Hunt, Pack It Up Matching game, crossword puzzles and coloring pages, as well as age-appropriate, step-by-step instructions on what families can do to better prepare for emergencies and the role kids can play in that effort.  The site also has resources for parents and teachers on emergency preparedness and response, including in-school activity sheets for fourth, fifth and sixth grade students developed with Scholastic Inc.

At the Web site, your child can interact with the Ready Kids mascot, a strong and confident mountain lion named Rex.  Rex and his family explain how families can work together to prepare for all types of emergencies. 

The Ready Campaign consulted with a number of organizations experienced in education and children’s health to develop Ready Kids, including American Psychological Association, American Red Cross, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of School Psychologists, National PTA, National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Their expertise helped present the emergency preparedness information included in the Ready Kids program in a way that is understandable and appropriate for children.

It’s important to address this topic and explain to your children that families can prepare for emergencies before they take place and that they can help, too. By doing so, you can alleviate anxiety if an emergency does occur, and help to nurture a more prepared society for generations to come.  Visit ready.gov today and get Ready!