Boy has this week been super FUN and exciting! We decided to name this week "Drill Week," when we on a whim decided to practice all of our Emergency Disaster Drills all in one week! We practice our drills monthly, however we wanted to really dive into the importance of awareness, and making sure that drills are being taken seriously at all times. Safety is incredibly important to us, and we want to make sure our teachers are prepared at ANY time for any emergency that may come about. We have been incredibly impressed with our teachers this week on their ability to move very quickly, keep the children calm, and knowing exactly what it is that they are supposed to be doing in case of an emergency. We did a fire drill, tornado drill, intruder drill, and an earthquake drill this week! During our tornado drill we were so impressed seeing all of our teachers singing songs and keeping their kiddos entertained and upbeat! Our intruder drill went incredibly well and our new safety locks that we had installed about a year ago are a great addition to that extra security! We are so thankful for our wonderful teachers who are always prepared for any and every situation that is thrown at them. Here are a few examples of our drills that we have been practicing!
Our first drill was our Intruder Drill. These new lockdown locks are amazing. Each classroom has an emergency lockdown lock located right inside their classroom. They are on the wall directly next to the door so you can easily open the box, and grab the lock!
While one teacher is hurrying to have children enter into closets and bathrooms, the other teacher locks the door and then ALSO grabs that lockdown lock, places it into the ground and the door, then turns off the lights!
These kiddos are demonstrating how the Intruder Drill works! Doing so well while "hiding" in the closet! The lights are out in the classroom, and everyone is hidden and out of sight from any doors or windows. To keep the kiddos calm, our teachers sing songs and communicate to each child that everything is O K!
Next we have our Tornado Drill demonstration!
Our kiddos have designated areas in the hallways, away from all windows and doors where they will sit up against the wall, and cover their heads with their hands!
During an Earthquake Drill, our teachers will tell their kiddos to DUCK, COVER, AND HOLD. Our children will go underneath a table or covered surface.
Fire Drills! Our educators and children are so wonderful at these drills. As soon as they hear that fire alarm ringing, teachers calmly instruct the older kiddos to line up at the door, as quickly as possible, and head out the door to their designated safe place.
Infants will be placed into the two emergency cribs located inside of their classroom. The teachers will grab their emergency binders, and make sure to count each child!
Ms. Mandy and her babes have these fire drills down! Ms. Mandy is so great at keeping kiddos calm, and making sure they are not startled or afraid. She constantly sings to them with a soft voice, reminding them that everything is O K!
Practicing our Emergency Disaster Plans is incredibly important to us here at AOFC. Our teachers are prepared at any moment to do exactly what is needed in case of an emergency! Our staff is familiarized with all disaster plans, including "Code Orange" which is a seizure, medical emergencies, and any individualized plans for children with special needs. We are very proud of our educators, lead teachers, assistants, and support staff, for the way they take ALL situations seriously, and familiarize themselves with any and all emergency plans.
To learn more about practicing emergency drills in schools, please click
HERE
