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DAP Category: Safety

News

April 23, 2021

Let’s Get Ready: Planning Together for Emergencies, Sesame Street

A bilingual (English and Spanish) multiple media resource, Let’s Get Ready and Handling Emergencies are designed to help entire families, especially those with young children, to plan and prepare together for emergencies. Through simple strategies and tips that can be incorporated into everyday routines, these  helps children, families, and caregivers to prepare ahead of time in age-appropriate and engaging ways.

About

Preparing for emergencies is something the whole family and community can do together! Help children remember important information, and create a family emergency kit and plan. These steps will go a long way in keeping children safe and secure.

Let’s Get Ready Toolkit

Handling Emergencies Toolkit

 

 

News

CPR for Infants and Children

CPR can save a child’s life by providing the brain, heart and other organs with life-giving oxygen in the event of respiratory and/or cardiac arrest. Drowning, poisoning, accidents, smoke inhalation and SIDS are only a few of the emergencies that could result in death if not treated quickly.

About

A number of resources and courses are available to help parents and caregivers learn how to administer CPR in the event of an emergency.

 

News

A Guide for Families: Creating An Emergency Kit

Be prepared for an emergency situation.

Emergencies like natural disasters, fires, injuries, and other crisis situations can happen in the blink of an eye, so it is important to be prepared.

When children and their families prepare for an emergency situation together, children learn the basics of staying safe, and it can make emergencies less stressful because they will feel empowered.

Create an Emergency Kit

Take some time to create an emergency kit box with your child — turn it into a treasure hunt or a game to keep your child engaged. As you put items in the box, explain how they would help during an emergency.

Prepare kits for your home, work, and vehicle and review them every six months to a year to replace expired food items or clothing your child has outgrown.

Use this checklist to prepare kits for your family.

Basic Needs

  • Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation).
  • Food (at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food).
  • Can opener for food.
  • Emergency lighting, such as a flashlight, head lamp, or battery-powered lantern.
  • Extra batteries in common sizes and batteries for any other devices such as hearing aids.
  • Car chargers, power banks, and adapters for home use equipment and devices.
  • A battery-powered or hand-crank National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio with USB port(s).
  • Battery-powered or backup smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.
  • Appliance thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer.
  • A surge protector power strip.
  • Matches in a waterproof container.
  • Warm clothes, blankets, sleeping bags, and emergency blankets to keep you warm in cold temperatures.

Personal Needs

  • Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties (for personal sanitation).
  • Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items.
  • Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream.
  • Pet food and extra water for your pet.
  • Cash.
  • Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person.
  • Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes.
  • Books, games, puzzles, or other activities for children.

Medication

  • A list of your prescription medicines. Include information about your diagnosis, dosage, frequency, medical supply needs, and allergies.
  • Medical equipment such as inhalers, hearing aids, glucose meters and test strips, eyeglasses, etc.
  • First aid supplies:
    • Bandages.
    • Antibiotic ointment.
    • Antiseptic wipes.
    • Latex gloves.
    • Oral thermometer.
    • Hand sanitizer.
    • Tweezers and scissors.
  • Nonprescription drugs, like pain and fever relievers, antihistamines, and antidiarrheal medicines.
  • A cooler and chemical ice packs to chill medicines that need to be refrigerated.

Paperwork

  • Copies of insurance cards (home, car, health).
  • Personal identification.
  • Vital records.
  • Photocopied veterinary records and registration information.
  • Personal care plans.

More Information

For more information about preparing for an emergency with your family, visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign website: ready.gov.

Print This Resource

This resource is available as a printable PDF (English) (Spanish).

News

Directory for Emergency and Safety Services

Keep information for emergency and safety services on hand with this printable resource.

Emergency Services

 

Personal/local contacts:

  • Police department
  • Fire department
  • Pediatrician

Battery Ingestion Hotline:

  • Call 202.625.3333.

Pittsburgh Poison Center:

  • Call 1.800.222.1222.
  • Text “poison” to 797979 to add the poison center number as a contact in your mobile phone.

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Emergency Department:

  • Call 412.692.5555.

webPOINSONCONTROL:

The first fully-automated virtual poison center. As an interactive tool, it guides you through a specific poison exposure situation just as poison control centers would do if you called.

Safety Services

Allegheny County Health Department’s Safe and Healthy Homes (SHHP) Program:

Provides free in-home health and safety assessments to qualified participants in Allegheny County as well as Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland counties.

Allegheny Lead Safe Homes Program:

Offers qualifying homeowners and renters in Allegheny County with free lead-paint testing throughout their homes and hires a certified lead abatement contractor to repair any lead hazards found up to $12,000.

Cribs for Kids:

Provides portable cribettes to families who, otherwise, cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep.

PA Car Seat Loan Program:

The PA Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and offers a car seat loan program for families in need.

The National Child Identification Program Inkless Fingerprint I.D. Kit:

The ID Kit allows parents to collect specific information by easily recording the physical characteristics and fingerprints of their children on identification cards that are then kept at home by the parent or guardian.

Print This Resource

This resource is available as a printable PDF (English) (Spanish).

News

January 21, 2021

Through the Eyes of a Child, Harvard Medicine

About

Direct and indirect exposure to racism and discrimination during early childhood can have lifelong impacts on a child’s development, physical health, and general wellbeing.

In “Through the Eyes of a Child,” Elizabeth Gehrman explores these topics and more, including: racial trauma; the difference between positive, tolerable, and toxic stress; lifelong impacts on health; trauma-informed care; and more.

Featured Quotes

    • “We do surveys with Black youth here in Pittsburgh, and kids ages 10 to 15 are reporting that people have been racist toward them. By tenth grade, about fifty percent of them have encountered racial discrimination.” – James Huguley, Interim Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems
    • “The general public belief is that early experiences don’t have lasting impacts until kids get older. But now we know that even very young kids are affected. Biology makes it clear: The body doesn’t forget. Early experiences both positive and negative literally shape the architecture of the developing brain and other biological systems from the beginning.” – Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education
    • “Part of the work of becoming an adult is learning how to modulate the fear response and move toward safety. But when the sense of threat never goes away, and you’re in a chronic state of seeking safety, that short circuits higher-order functions.” – Alisha Moreland, Director of Trauma-Informed Treatment, Consultation, and Outreach at McLean Hospital’s Center of Excellence in Depression and Anxiety Disorders
    • “No child can survive significant adversity by pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. But whether it’s a parent, a childcare or health care provider, a neighbor, or a teacher, just one person can confer the protective effect, bringing the stress system back to baseline by providing caring support.” – James Huguley, Interim Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems

Access This Resource

To read the full article, visit the Havard Medicine website.

 

News

December 23, 2020

Housing Resources for Families in Allegheny County

Housing and Eviction Resources

If your family is at risk for eviction or homelessness, resources and programs are available to help.

Housing Stabilization Program

The Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Housing Stabilization Program provides one-time or short term (up to three months) financial assistance to households who are facing a temporary, non-reoccurring housing crisis. Depending on which type of support is needed, you may be able to receive funding to cover move-in fees, utilities, rent, mortgage payments, and legal fees.

Eligibility

To qualify, individuals must:

    • be a renter or homeowner,
    • live in the City of Pittsburgh,
    • develop a stability plan with a service provider.

Apply For This Program

If you are eligible, contact Untiled Way by dialing 211 or texting your zip code to 898.211. Interested applicants may also contact United Way via chatroom (located at the bottom right of the webpage) or the online contact form.

 

 

Housing Legal Assistance Program

The Housing Legal Assistance Program assists individuals through the following services:

    • Tangled-Title: Legal assistance of up to $5,000 if you own a home but need the deed transferred to your name.
    • Eviction Prevention: Legal assistance of up to $3,000 if you are at risk of eviction or are currently experiencing eviction and need legal assistance.

Eligibility

To qualify for Tangled-Title assistance, individuals must live in the City of Pittsburgh, have an income that is at or below 80 percent of the Average Monthly Income, and not have any outstanding City, School, and County real estate taxes (or must be on a payment plan for at least three months.

To qualify for Eviction Prevention assistance, individuals must live in the City of Pittsburgh, have an income that is at or below 50 percent of the Average Monthly Income, and be experiencing wrongful threats of lock-out, eviction, or sub-standard living conditions.

Apply For This Program

To apply for Tangled-Title assistance, contact United Way by texting your zip code to 898-211 or by dialing 211. To apply for Eviction Prevention, call 412.255.6574 or email hof@ura.org.

For more information, contact Victoria Jackson at 412.255.6696 or hof@ura.org.

 

 

Just Mediation Pittsburgh

Just Mediation Pittsburgh offers free, confidential mediation services to landlords and tenants who are looking to find solutions to housing disputes. Just Mediation Pittsburgh mediators facilitate a dialogue between both parties to identify positive solutions and create a shared, legally binding agreement.

Request Services

Participation in these services is voluntary. Both parties must be willing to share their perspectives, listen to the other individual’s perspective, and create constructive solutions. To request services, visit the Just Mediation Pittsburgh page. For more information, contact 412.228.0730 or info@justmediationpgh.org.

 

 

Allegheny Link

If you are experiencing a housing crisis, the Allegheny Link can help connect you to resources. The Allegheny Link will assess your eligibility for homeless supports such as rental assistance, utility assistance, and homeless services.

Range Of Services

The Allegheny Link assists Allegheny County residents:

    • who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in finding stable housing,
    • who are pregnant, or parents and caregivers of children up to age six years of age, get referrals to home visiting programs,
    • who are over the age of 60 live safely in their community, and
    • with any disability find services that meet their needs.

Contact

If you are in need of services, contact the Allegheny Link at 1.866.730.2368. This line will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Callers between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. will be directed to appropriate supports by an automated message. Individuals can also contact the Allegheny Link via email. This method is especially suggested for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.

 

 

Rental Payment Assistance

The Department of Public Assistance has an Emergency Shelter Fund that provides financial assistance to help individuals prevent eviction or foreclosure, obtain permanent housing, or obtain temporary shelter. Individuals must be receiving public assistance benefits to qualify. For more information, contact 412.565.2146.

 

 

Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh

Do you feel you have been the victim of housing discrimination? Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh investigates allegations of housing discrimination. If you have been a victim of housing discrimination, all of their services are free of charge.

Report Discrimination

To file an anonymous complaint, or to speak with a member of their staff, call 412.391.2535. Individuals can also report discrimination by completing this online form.

 

 

Shelter Directory

Pennsylvania’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) Program has a Shelter Directory on its website that contains a filterable list of emergency shelters and housing providers. Shelters and providers included on the list accept homeless families and/or homeless youth. Some shelters and providers may admit single adults. Access the Directory.

 

 

More Information

Visit the Allegheny County website to learn more about housing subsidies, mortgage assistance, homelessness, discrimination support services, and more. If you are experiencing homelessness, visit the Homeless Services page.

 

News

December 14, 2020

Child Care Emergency Plan, Child Care Aware of America

About

Child Care Aware of America reported that 38 percent of parents were unsure of their child care provider’s emergency plan, with another 7 percent stating that their program doesn’t have one. To ensure your child’s safety, Child Care Aware recommends that caregivers be proactive by asking their child care provider these 10 questions.

Recommended Questions

    • Do you have an emergency preparedness plan for disasters that are likely to occur in our area?
    • How will you safely evacuate my child to a safe, predetermined location?
    • How and when will I be notified if a disaster occurs when my child is in child care?
    • If I can’t get to my child during or after a disaster, how will you continue to care for my child?
    • Have you and your staff received training on how to respond to my child’s physical and emotional needs during and after a disaster; for example, are all staff first aid and CPR-certified?
    • Will you teach my older child what to do in an emergency?
    • Do you have a disaster/supply kit with enough items to meet my child’s needs for at least 72 hours?
    • Do the state and local emergency management agencies and responders know about your child care program and where it is located?
    • How may I help you during and after a disaster?
    • After a disaster occurs, how will I be notified about your plan to reopen?

More Information

This information was provided by Child Care Aware of America. Visit their website for more information about emergency preparedness!

 

News

The Science of Early Childhood Development, Center on the Developing Child

About

Are you interested in learning why early childhood is such an important period of growth? Watch this video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University!

Featured Quotes

    • “If a child is preoccupied with fears or anxiety, or is dealing with considerable stress, no matter how intellectually gifted that child might be, his or her learning is going to be impaired by that kind of emotional interference.”
    • “When we talk about healthy development in the early years, and particularly when we talk about preparing children to succeed at school, we cannot separate cognitive development from social and emotional development. You can’t have one without the other.”
    • “Excessive prolonged stress early in life is associated with a higher prevalence later, not only of learning problems and behavioral difficulties but also physical and mental health problems.”

Watch the Video

More Information

To learn more, visit the Center on the Developing Child website.

 

News

Childhood Development and Lifelong Health, Center on the Developing Child

About

Are you interested in learning how early childhood development and environments impact children’s lifelong physical and mental health? Check out the Center on the Developing Child’s whitepaper, “Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined.”

Featured Topics

In the whitepaper, researchers explore:

    • what 21st-century science is teaching us,
    • how early adversity affects developing biological systems,
    • common illnesses in adults that have roots in early childhood adversity,
    • facts about the health that are often misunderstood,
    • future directions for policies and practice, and
    • final reflections in a COVID-19 world.

Learn More

For more information, view this resource from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child.

 

News

Anti-Racism Resources for Families

About

As parents and caregivers, we have a responsibility to ensure that every child and family is safe from racism and discrimination and has equitable opportunities to thrive.

In order to do this, we must begin with ourselves. Set aside time in your day to do a personal inventory. What thoughts, feelings, and behaviors have you contributed to upholding systems of racism? What assumptions are you making? What actions or inactions have you taken that contribute to systems of oppression?

Next, consider your family and your friends—what behaviors, statements, or jokes have gone unchecked? What actions or inactions have you taken within your interpersonal relationships that have contributed to an unsafe community for our black and brown children, neighbors, and colleagues? How might you begin to lead by example within your own family or community?

Anti-racism work is something that has to be attended to in an ongoing way. In order to support you in this work, Trying Together compiled the following resources. This list is not exhaustive.

Resources for Adults

Discussing Racism and Violence with Children

Children’s Books

Resources for Social-Emotional Development