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Lock down procedures - appropriateness

  • 1.  Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-01-2019 01:20 PM
    Hello
    I had a faith-based child care provider reach out to me for assistance with conducting intruder on campus/lock downs and what would be the most appropriate procedure for children ages 2-5.
    I am out of suggestions and welcome any advice.
    Thanks in advance!

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    Dr. Catherine Twyman
    Early Childhood Education
    Daytona State College
    Daytona Beach FL
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  • 2.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-02-2019 01:43 AM
    I would rely on city, county and state resources on how to shelter in place. If they google Florida shelter in place, the search reveals resources.
    The main thing is for the organizer to remain calm and follow the basic steps such as locking the doors, turning the lights off, turning the ac/heat off, covering windows and vents. Gathering the children in a safe place.  Does FL licensing have regs on it? Basic first aid, water, and food sources?

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    Patricia Jack
    Boulder City NV
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  • 3.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-03-2019 04:19 AM
    As I think about this highly relevant and important question, I am reminded of some of what I learned as the basics of the work with young children, their families and those who serve them. First and foremost, the importance of building high quality relationships, grounded in trust and respect for each other. Then the responsibility of doing everything possible to create and continuously improve the development of safe environment at the site early childhood education program.

    I think this means observing and listening to the children, especially following a situation that resulted in a lockdown at the facility or where someone influential in the life of the child experienced a lockdown. Then responding to questions the child might have, guiding the children through the process to understand their behavior, as they react to the lockdown, and successfully work through the impact the experience had on them. This can mean providing experiences where the children engage in art activities to express their feelings about being in lockdown.

    I believe, ultimately, I want to find the way to reassure the children they are in a safe environment at the Early Childhood Education facility where adults care about them and are  doing what is necessary to keep them safe.

    I had the opportunity to work in a neighborhood where there was a fair amount of violence, including the use of guns that resulted in serious injuries and sometimes the death of an individual. I found the children in the ECE Center showed an amazing ability to be resilient and responded well to reassuring words from the early childhood education staff, who the children trusted, and then continued to go about their work in the room.


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    Robert Gundling, Ed.D.
    Better Futures LLC
    Senior Consultant
    Washington, DC
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  • 4.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-02-2019 10:54 AM
    This is a terrible, heart-breaking  and unfortunately needed conversation.  I'm curious about how you talk with the children in your care when you have to conduct lockdown drills.  How do you talk to three year olds about active shooter drills?  I am old enough to remember having to put our heads down on the desks or stand in the hallway at school with our faces against the wall during the Cold War.  We never were told why.  I am all for honesty with young children about most topics; however I don't know if knowing would have been easier or more detrimental than being confused about what we were doing.

    So there are two concerns--how do you actually conduct these drills and what do you say to children?  How is it different than how you talk about fire safety and fire drills?

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    Aren Stone
    Child Development Specialist
    The Early Years Project
    Cambridge, MA
    she/her
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  • 5.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-02-2019 12:08 PM
    I retired just when these practices were starting to be recommended and while I know how to explain tornado and fire drills to young children I don't know how to explain a deranged person with a gun.  I later read that one center approached it like a barking dog they didn't know had gotten into the school and until they found out if it was friendly or not they would hide from it. I thought that was a good compromise; hiding from something unfamiliar and potentially dangerous is a reasonable life skill. Do they need to know more?

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    Vicki Knauerhase M.Ed.
    Child Development Specialist (retired)
    Weston OH
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  • 6.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-02-2019 04:41 PM
    I think that keeping it simple is best. When the fire department comes in and announces a shelter in place drill (Ours expects you to tell them the steps) Blame it on the rules and handle it like you do a transition or major interruption.  Say the firefighter asked Miss Patti how I keep you safe if there is an emergency; or something like that.

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    Patricia Jack
    Boulder City NV
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  • 7.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-03-2019 01:27 AM
    As the children practice fire drills monthly they understand that in a fire emergency means we have to get out and stay out because it is dangerous inside.  When we do our yearly lockdown drill, I remind them about what we do in a fire drill and that this time we will be practicing what to do if there is something dangerous outside and we have to hide from it.  I don't elaborate more than that and I find that children accept this explanation readily.  Then we lock down in our safe space with doors and windows closed and covered and the lights off and we have one silent minute.

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    Sherrie Rose Mayle
    Director/Teacher
    Campbell Parents' Participation Preschool
    Campbell, CA
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  • 8.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-04-2019 07:18 AM
    Although the use of guns to terrify and kill people in schools has risen to levels that I never experienced personally either as a child or adult, I understand the fears of the adults about the consequences of these actions. In my experience, fire drills did not upset the 2, 3, and 4-year-olds. What frightened them was the noise of the alarm for the drill. On the other hand, are we raising children to be afraid of life and people by instituting lockdowns and other practices because we live in a country riven with guns and mental illness that is not addressed? Are we raising children to think there are no places where they can feel safe?

    When I was a child in elementary school, we practiced drills supposedly to protect us from nuclear attack. The whole operation was silly in that if there were an attack, sitting in the hallways of the school, crouching covering her heads would not have saved us. In the same way, engaging in lockdowns with little kids to me is in that category. 

    On the other hand, training teachers on what is the best way to protect young children in a dangerous situation is excellent. Installing communication devices in the classroom so that teachers can be alerted through text or other means is also a good thing to do. I am reluctant about the efficacy of going through pretend lockdown drills with three and four-year-olds.

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    Nora Krieger, PhD
    Associate Professor Emerita/Past Chair NJEEPRE
    Bloomfield College/NJ Educators Exploring the Practices of Reggio Emilia
    Highland Park, NJ
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  • 9.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-03-2019 08:23 AM
    Aren,
    I teach 3 and 4 year olds in a PreK-8th grade parochial school. We had the county and city police come to train the teachers. Thus far we've only had 1 "live drill" with just the teaching staff. We have had 1 shelter in place drill with the students. We were supposed to have an evacuation drill last spring, but we had a thunderstorm that day and the school we are to evacuate to asked us not to come in the rain. 

    As far as describing it, I treated it like a fire or tornado drill. Just another safety thing we need to do. I have "social stories" that I read to my entire class, not just my students with autism, that describe the event. I bought them on Teachers Pay Teachers from Pocket of Preschool. I believe there is even one about earthquakes, but I didn't buy it as those aren't typically a factor in the Midwest. 

    When we did the shelter in place  drill with the students my 4 year olds thought it was funny that we had to hide in the dark. They were much more frightened of the fire and tornado drills. Children know the destructive power of fire and tornadoes, but I don't think most know about an intruder with a weapon (yet). I think it's more important that my students know there are times they have to follow my directions, no questions asked. In the event of any emergency be it fire, tornado, or intruder, we won't have time for a debate about which way to run or if they want to go or not.

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    Heather Finnegan
    Preschool Teacher
    Our Redeemer Lutheran Church with School
    Delavan WI
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  • 10.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-03-2019 10:16 AM
    Lots of good perspectives here.  Thank you.  Though I wasn't the one to ask the original question, as usual in this forum, I can use this information with teachers and directors.

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    Aren Stone
    Child Development Specialist
    The Early Years Project
    Cambridge, MA
    she/her
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  • 11.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-03-2019 02:38 PM
    Unfortunately, lockdown drills are a reality in schools today.  Our school has had the privilege of participating in a lockdown training program through a company called Guardian Defense https://guardiandefenseplan.com/.  They are passionate about empowering teachers to ensure the safety of students.  I have consulted with them about creating a program for students, as well.  During that process, I wrote a children's book that helps to explain the lockdown procedure to young children in a developmentally appropriate way.  It also has tips for teachers at the end.  The book is in the final stages of publishing and should be completed before the end of the year.  It is called Safe at School, and it will be available on Amazon.com.

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    [Sara] [Willocks]
    [Early Childhood Director]
    [Boca Raton ] [Florida]
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  • 12.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-04-2019 02:40 PM
    Hi Catherine.  Unfortunately, this type of training is becoming way too common in our environment.  I just went through a training myself in North Florida through a program that  I believe that could be of some help to you.  It is the Cradle to College Foundation, Inc. that is working with Preschools within the State of Florida to help educate and prepare us in the event of such tragedies.  They have a program called P.E.A.R.L.S ( Preschool Emergency Alert Response Learning System) Educate Prepare Project.  The only way I am aware to contact them is through their Social Media: www.facebook.com/PEARLSPreparedFlorida and www.twitter.com/PEARLSFlorida.  I hope this information can help you.

    Colleen Regan-O'Hara
    Director
    Happy Acres Ranch
    colleenhappyacres@gmail.com

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    Colleen Regan-O'Hara
    Director
    Happy Acres Ranch
    Jacksonville FL
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  • 13.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-06-2019 09:23 AM
    PEARLS Florida is Terrific! As Director of our preschool, I invited PEARLS team to come in and provide a training segment in our annual Staff Orientation. The team was terrific in guiding and training our teaching staff for the drills. So helpful!​

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    Kathryn Canfield
    Eagle''''s Nest Christian Academy
    Naples FL
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  • 14.  RE: Lock down procedures - appropriateness

    Posted 11-04-2019 05:42 PM
    Hello,

    Our district just completed the ALICE certification.  It is by far the best lockdown training I have been a part of and they do have procedures for PreK that was developed in cooperation with early childhood teachers/specialists. 

    https://www.alicetraining.com


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    Joy Williams
    Director of Curriculum
    Northwest Arctic Borough School District
    Kotzebue AK
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