Between school, sports and social lives, chances are, you won’t be with your kids if a disaster happens: Ready.gov/kids has the educational tools and information to make the conversation easy. When the time comes, chances are, they’ll feel prepared, not scared. So, talk with your family today.
- Disasters affect everyone, and it’s important to include our youth in preparing for them; children who are prepared may experience less anxiety.
- With the help of parents and caregivers, children—as age-appropriate—can learn about what they should do when there is an unexpected event at home, at school, at their summer camp, etc.
- Include planning for all members of the family, collecting age-appropriate emergency supplies, planning for pets, and having a communications plan to know who to contact in a disaster if the family is not together.
- Talk with young people about what to do when disaster strikes when they aren’t home, or when they aren’t with you, so they feel prepared, not scared.
- Kids can learn about disasters through “Prepare with Pedro Disaster Preparedness Activity Book” and “Ready 2 Help.”
- Promote good financial saving practices by providing clear steps to saving, budgeting and setting and meeting financial goals.
- Because young people experience the same hazards as adults do, they are an important part of building a national culture of preparedness; after all, children under the age of 18 make up nearly one-quarter of the entire U.S. population.
- To learn more, go to Ready.gov/kids and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).