Free template
Emergency plan and contact sheet
The page that goes on the wall and in the go-bag: what you do, where you go, who you call, and in what order.
- Evacuation, shelter-in-place, and lockdown as three short procedures, not paragraphs
- The meeting point and the secondary location, written with an address
- Emergency numbers plus your licensor, poison control, and utility shut-offs
- A reunification line so families know how they will be contacted and where to come
PDF, two pages, letter size. Post one and put a copy in the emergency bag.
Get the template
Tell us where to send it and the file is yours. We send the template and the occasional new one, nothing else.
What has to be readable in thirty seconds
Evacuation
Route, who grabs the attendance sheet and the emergency bag, and where you count heads once outside.
Shelter in place
Which interior room, how you cover windows, and how long you can stay there with water and snacks.
Lockdown
Doors, lights, quiet activity, and who communicates with authorities. Practiced in a way that does not frighten children.
Numbers that matter
Emergency services, poison control, your licensor, gas and water shut-off, and a nearby program that could take children.
Reunification
How families are notified, where they come, and the ID check at pickup during an emergency.
Go-bag contents
Attendance, contact list, first aid, water, diapers, and a charged battery pack, with a date to check it.
A plan that works because it was practiced
The plan is not the paper. The paper is what makes the practice consistent, especially for a substitute who has been in the building for an hour.
Drill on a schedule and log it. Fire monthly, others as your state requires. Note the date, time to evacuate, and anything that went wrong.
Assign roles by position, not name. The lead teacher takes attendance, the assistant takes the bag. Names change, roles do not.
Check the go-bag quarterly. Water expires, diapers stop fitting, batteries die. Put the check date on the bag.
Emergency preparedness, answered
What does licensing require in a plan?
Most states require a written plan covering specific scenarios, posted evacuation routes, and drill records, but the list of scenarios and drill frequency varies. Get your state's requirement and map it to the sections here.
How often should we drill?
Fire drills are commonly monthly, with other drills less frequent. Follow your state's schedule and keep a signed log of each one.
Do parents need a copy?
Give them the reunification part at minimum, so they know where to go and how you will reach them. Many programs include it in the handbook.
What about a substitute who has never drilled?
Point at the posted plan during orientation and name their role for the day. A five-minute conversation is the whole difference.
Reach every family in one message
When something happens, one announcement goes to every parent at once, with the location and the next step, instead of forty phone calls.