The mental health lead promotes positive mental health strategies for families, children, and staff. They find mental health resources to use in an emergency.
Preparedness Actions
- Supports the development of the program’s disaster preparedness plan and helps the task force consider the mental health needs of children, families, and staff during all phases of an emergency.
- Completes Psychological First Aid (PSA) Online training and shares the information with staff and volunteers.
- Recommends learning and calming materials to use in the Bee CALM Backpack.
- Promotes a trauma-informed approach and models how to use positive mental health strategies in tabletop exercises and drills.
- Encourages staff to have an emergency plan for their own family.
Response Actions
- Offers support to children, families, and staff during an emergency response.
- Models using calming phrases and ways to emotionally support and reassure children.
- Supports staff in using developmentally appropriate materials in the Bee CALM Backpack to help children feel less distressed during an emergency.
Recovery Actions
- With educators and the learning and care lead, partners with families and other members of children’s support systems to assess the impact of the emergency on children and help re-establish consistent routines.
- Supports children, families, and staff and makes referrals for services if needed. A mental health consultant may help with this.
- Suggests resources for families or staff experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, or job loss after a disaster.
- Debriefs lessons learned from the disaster response.
- Assesses how well the program’s mental health procedures worked and recommends improvements as needed.
