In partnership with the RCRC Communities, the Resilient Children/Resilient Communities Initiative analyzed, recommended, and implemented procedures, training, and guidance to help build child-focused community resilience to disasters. The RCRC Toolbox is a dynamic collection of resources developed and curated throughout this initiative for the benefit of those working to make our communities and our children more resilient to disasters. This collection of tools and resources should be shared widely with communities across the US and its territories.
The RCRC Toolbox is organized by different kinds of people or organizations that are looking for tools to assist in their preparedness and planning efforts. For example, if you are a teacher or administrator of a school, daycare, etc, then the Child-Serving Institutions portal will have resources for planning, engaging parents, and managing crisis as an organization. The Community Emergency Planners portal is populated with tools for emergency managers, health departments, non-government organizations supporting disaster response, other similar entities, and anyone supporting emergency or disaster planning at the organizational level. The tools in this portal are focused on community-wide planning, exercises, continuity of operations, and other related guidance.
If you are looking for your own personal preparedness, or for resources to directly provide to parents, the Individuals and Families portal will have some good checklists and other resources for you. Finally, for Policymakers the toolbox contains studies, videos, and other guiding documents to consider when developing policies and programs that impact children in disasters at the local, state, or federal levels.
The previously recorded webinar below will walk viewers through the background of the development of the RCRC Toolbox and more importantly how communities across the US and its territories may leverage these tools to develop their own Community Resilience Coalitions and begin taking steps to enhance their child-focused preparedness and resilience.