Emergency Preparedness for Wee Ones

If you have preschool-age children, you may be reluctant to talk about emergencies such as natural disasters and acts of terrorism. But thanks to Sesame Workshop, there is an age-appropriate way to inform your young ones about emergencies and reduce the scare factor by planning together.

Sesame Workshop has an emergency preparedness program called Let's Get Ready! and it includes all your Sesame favorites, plus sensitive and age-appropriate advice parents have come to rely on. I was lucky enough to be one of the editors of this project.

Along with old friends such as Grover, Big Bird, and Elmo, young children can take an active role in planning for an emergency. Roughly 150,000 Let's Get Ready! DVD kits were sent to families across America, but now you can access most of this information for free, right on the Web.

Click on the Let's Get Ready! link, where you'll find introductory information, video, related links, and FREE downloads. The Parent/Caregiver booklet includes everything you'll need to get the whole family involved in emergency planning, including an actual printable Emergency Plan you can fill in, and an activity booklet for kids.