Premier Preschools Partner with Parents to Address Child Safety

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A recent poll by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Earth Institute shows 65 percent of American households don't have an adequate emergency plan or have no plan at all. However, according to Save the Children, more than half of American families with children in school or child care have already been affected by a disaster, and manmade disasters can strike anywhere at any time.

"Parents often think that their kids are safe with them or that they aren't at risk, but that's one of the many misconceptions about emergency preparedness," says Sarah Thompson, associate director of community preparedness with Save the Children. "Partnering with Primrose Schools helps us provide more families with the information and resources they need to get better prepared for the unexpected."

The Get Ready. Get Safe. campaign focuses on three critical "Prep Steps" for getting children and families prepared for emergencies: knowing your emergency contacts, developing a family emergency plan and packing disaster supply kits. Primrose Schools and Save the Children provide simple resources to complete each Prep Step on the Primrose Pointers for Parents blog. In addition, each step includes a fun game or activity to get children involved and teach essential information that will help them stay safe in emergency situations. 

Parents can visit the Primrose Pointers for Parents blog to get the resources needed to complete each Prep Step, download the fun, kid-friendly safety activities and learn more about how to prepare their families for emergencies.

At Primrose Schools, children's safety is a top priority. Emergency preparedness lessons are integrated into the curriculum, which is taught consistently at every Primrose school across the country. Students learn and practice important tasks like knowing their home addresses and parents' cell phone numbers, and being able to recognize a firefighter and police officer. These simple lessons can make a big difference in the midst of a crisis of any scale.

Recently, the mother of a Primrose graduate called her son's former school to thank his teachers. She told the school that he was accidentally separated from the group at a party and was able to identify an employee at the party location and recite his mother's phone number. When she picked him up safe and sound, she asked if he practiced her phone number in his first grade class, and he said, "No, mom. They taught us at Primrose." The mother confirmed this fact when she asked her younger daughter, who is still enrolled at Primrose, if she knew mom's number. The toddler was able to recite it without hesitation.

"We value children's safety as highly as parents do and know that simple safety skills go a long way, so we make sure learning about safety is fun and age-appropriate for the children," said Gloria Julius, Ed.D., vice president of education and professional development for Primrose Schools. "Get Ready. Get Safe. is a great extension of our commitment to child safety and provides a way for us to educate Primrose families and friends about the importance of protecting some of our most vulnerable citizens during times of crisis."

In honor of National Preparedness Month, Primrose Schools encourages all families to complete the three Prep Steps and spread the word about the importance of emergency preparation.

About Primrose Schools^®
Founded in 1982, Primrose Schools is the nation's leader in providing a premier early education and care experience in more than 300 schools in 26 states. Each Primrose school is independently owned and operated by Franchise Owners who partner with parents to help children build the right foundation for future learning and life, and offer an environment that helps children have fun while nurturing Active Minds, Healthy Bodies and Happy Hearts^®. Primrose is the first early childhood education organization in the country to receive AdvancED Corporation Systems Accreditation under the new Standards for Quality Early Learning Schools. For more information, visit www.PrimroseSchools.com, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube, and explore our blog.

About Save the Children^® 
Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours. Save the Children has responded to humanitarian crises and disasters around the world for nearly 100 years. In the United States alone, we've helped more than 1.3 million children affected by disasters since Hurricane Katrina. We respond to every major disaster, facilitate long-term recovery and ensure children, families and communities are prepared. www.SavetheChildren.org/GetReady

SOURCE Primrose Schools