Evacuation
Getting every child out, including non-mobile children and adults.Source: CFOC 9.2.4.3
Free tool · For centers and home daycares
Daycare emergency plan template, built for you
Type your program’s details once and download a filled-in emergency plan with your own meeting places, relocation site, parent contact method and phone numbers. It covers every part the federal CCDF rule lists, from evacuation and lockdown to reunification.
8-page kit you can type into · Go-bag checklists · Drill schedule
Updated November 9, 2026 · Mapped to 45 CFR 98.41 and Caring for Our Children
Free, no sign-up to useEvery part of the CCDF listNothing you type is saved
Free tool · no sign-up to use it
Fill it in once. Download your plan.
Type your program’s details. The plan on the right fills in as you go. Then download it as a PDF, print it, and keep a copy in each go-bag.
1Your program
Infant or toddler rooms
2Where you go
3Families and children
How you tell parents
A count only. Don’t type names here: each child’s care plan stays in their file and in the go-bag.
4Local emergency numbers
Your plan, live
Nothing you type is saved or sent. The PDF is made in your browser.
Count from the real list. In MyKidReports, live attendance shows who is checked in right now, and the roster is on every staff phone and tablet for the head count.Start your 14-day free trial →
General guidance built on the federal CCDF rule (45 CFR 98.41) and Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.3 and 9.2.4.5. State licensing rules vary, and some states have their own required plan form (for example Tennessee HS-3275 and Minnesota). Check your state’s rules.
The short version: what a daycare emergency plan must cover
- The federal list: evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place and lockdown; staff and volunteer training and practice drills; communication and reunification with families; continuity of operations; and infants and toddlers, children with disabilities and children with chronic medical conditions.Source: 45 CFR 98.41(a)(1)(vii), govinfo, 2024 CFR
- Where you go and who you tell: a primary and a secondary meeting place, a relocation site, and how you notify parents (phone tree, text or email).Source: Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.3, nrckids.org
- Drills: fire monthly, tornado monthly in tornado season, earthquake every 6 months, hurricane yearly. Record every drill.Source: Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.5 (best practice, not law). State rules vary.
- Two go-bags: a short-term kit for evacuations of up to 6 hours, and a 72-hour kit.Source: Child Care Aware of America supply kit, March 2024
- Keep it current: review the plan twice a year and after any relevant event, and train every staff member on it.Source: Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.3; 45 CFR 98.41(a)(2)
What the plan covers
Every part of the plan, mapped to the rule
The builder writes a section for each part the federal CCDF rule lists, with the details Caring for Our Children adds.
Relocation
Where you go when you can’t go back in, with a site agreement and a map.Source: 45 CFR 98.41; CFOC 9.2.4.3
Shelter-in-place
Keeping everyone inside a safe room until it’s safe to leave.Source: 45 CFR 98.41; CFOC 9.2.4.3
Lockdown
Lockdown and intruder response, practiced like any other drill.Source: 45 CFR 98.41; CFOC 9.2.4.3
Reunification
Primary and secondary meeting places, and how parents are told.Source: 45 CFR 98.41; CFOC 9.2.4.3
Continuity of operations
Records backup, and paying staff and bills.Source: 45 CFR 98.41; CFOC 9.2.4.3
Infants and special needs
Infants and toddlers, children with disabilities or chronic conditions, and their equipment.Source: 45 CFR 98.41; CFOC 9.2.4.3, 5.1.4.2
Training and drills
Every staff member and volunteer trained, with practice drills.Source: 45 CFR 98.41(a)(1)(vii), (a)(2)
Sources: 45 CFR 98.41(a)(1)(vii) and (a)(2), govinfo, 2024 CFR; HeadStart.gov national requirements (updated July 18, 2025); Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.3 and 5.1.4.2, nrckids.org. Each state also has a statewide child care disaster plan (45 CFR 98.16(dd)).
Grab-and-go bags
Two go-bags: short‑term and 72-hour
Child Care Aware of America splits the kit in two: a short-term kit for evacuations of up to 6 hours, and a 72-hour kit. Both checklists are in the free kit, ready to print.
1 to 2 gallons for every 4 people
For an evacuation of up to 6 hours.
1 gallon per person per day
Plus a 5-gallon bucket toilet.
Papers
- Daily roster of children present
- Emergency contacts and approved pickup list
- Signed emergency release forms
- Care plans and medical releases
- Relocation site agreement and map
- Emergency plan and phone numbers (poison control, hospital)
- First aid and CPR chart and manual
Food
- Allergy-safe non-perishable food
- Formula or infant food, and bottles
- Cups, plates and utensils
- Manual can opener
First aid and medications
- Gloves, gauze, cold pack, eyewash
- Thermometer and CPR mouthpiece
- Children’s and staff medications (such as EpiPens and insulin)
Sanitation
- Diapers and wipes
- Toilet paper and hand sanitizer
- Disinfecting wipes and garbage bags
- 5-gallon bucket toilet (72-hour kit)
Communication and light
- Cell phone and charger or power pack
- NOAA weather radio (crank or battery)
- Flashlight, whistle and walkie-talkies
- Signal flare
Comfort and safety
- Emergency blankets and a change of clothes
- Dust masks and a walking rope
- Teething rings, pacifiers, books and toys
- Emergency cash, sunscreen and repellent
- Multi-tool and a wrench to shut off utilities
Sources: Child Care Aware of America, Emergency Supply Kit for Child Care Providers (March 2024); FEMA IS-36; Caring for Our Children 5.6.0.1, nrckids.org. Keep emergency contacts current with the free emergency contact form.
Drill schedule
How often to drill
Best practice from Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.5. It is not law, and your state’s licensing rules come first.
| Drill | How often |
|---|---|
| Fire | Monthly |
| Tornado | Monthly in tornado season |
| Flood | Before flood season |
| Earthquake | Every 6 months |
| Hurricane | Yearly |
| Threatening person, rabid animal, chemical spill, nuclear event | Practice them; no frequency set |
Every drill
- Record it in your drill log
- Vary the time, including nap time
- Use all exits
- Time how long it takes
- Count children with the daily roster
- Have the fire evacuation plan approved by a fire inspector
State rules vary. Georgia DECAL has centers run fire drills monthly and tornado and other drills every six months. Utah R381-70-14 (effective May 8, 2025) sets fire drills monthly and other disaster drills at least every six months. Check your own state licensing rules.
Sources: Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.5, 9.2.4.6 and 9.4.1.16, nrckids.org; Georgia DECAL; Utah R381-70-14. For the rest of your building, use the free childcare safety checklist.
Center or home daycare
Centers and home daycares, side by side
The parts of the plan are the same. What changes is how many adults and rooms you have. These are practical tips, not rules.
| Child care center | Home daycare | |
|---|---|---|
| Who leads | The director leads and names a backup. Each room has a lead who takes that room’s roster. | You lead. Name a backup adult who can come and help. |
| Head count | Each room counts its children, then the director checks every room is counted. | One roster, one count, at the meeting place. |
| Infants and non-mobile children | Plan how each infant and toddler room moves children who can’t walk out. | If you are the only adult, plan who helps carry infants and non-mobile children. |
| Meeting places | Big enough for every room, away from the building and the driveway. | Close to home, with a second place in case the first isn’t safe. |
| Drill rules | Some state rules are written for centers, such as Georgia DECAL’s. | Check which rules your state sets for family child care homes. |
The builder changes the plan to match: choose center or home daycare in step 1.
Telling families
Messages to send families, ready to go
Write these now, while it’s calm. Copy one, fill in the blanks, and send it by text, app message or email. If you typed your center’s name in the builder above, the copied message already has it.
1 · Evacuation
We had to leave the building
[Center name]: We had to leave the building because of [reason]. Every child is safe and with their teachers. We are at [place and address]. Please pick up your child there and bring a photo ID. We will update you by [time].
Send it once every child is counted at the meeting place.
2 · Shelter-in-place
We are staying inside
[Center name]: Because of [severe weather or a hazard outside], we are sheltering inside. Every child is safe and with their teachers. Please do not come to the center until we tell you it is safe. We will update you by [time].
For a tornado warning, a chemical spill or bad air outside.
3 · Lockdown
We are locked inside
[Center name]: We are in a lockdown because of [police activity nearby]. Every child is inside with their teachers. Please do not come to the center or call, so our line stays open. We will text you as soon as it ends.
Send it only when it is safe for a staff member to use a phone.
4 · All clear
It is over
[Center name]: All clear. The [lockdown, storm or event] is over. Every child is safe and the day is back to normal. Pickup is at the usual time. Thank you for waiting.
Send it as soon as the danger has passed.
5 · Center closed
We are closed
[Center name]: We will be closed on [day and date] because of [reason]. Please do not bring your child. We will tell you by [time] when we will open again. Questions? Reply here or call [phone].
For a power outage, storm damage, or a day after a real emergency.
In MyKidReports you can send any of these to every family at once, or to one room, by text, app notification or email.
Inside MyKidReports
The roster in your pocket when it counts
The plan above is free. In MyKidReports, the list you count from and the families you call are on every staff phone.
Live attendance
See who is checked in right now, so the count at the meeting place starts from today’s real list.
The roster on phones and tablets
Staff carry the roster on their phones and tablets for the head count when you leave and when you arrive.
Message every family at once
Send one message to all families: what happened, that children are safe, and where to pick up.
Contacts and pickups per child
Emergency contacts and authorized pickups are stored for each child, so you release children to the right people.
Free for up to 5 children
Put your roster where your staff are
Live attendance, the roster on every phone, parent messaging and emergency contacts per child, in one app.
What’s inside the kit
Everything for emergencies, in one kit
Eight printable pages plus a cover. Type into them on screen, or print and fill in by hand.
Your plan, part 1
Program, meeting places, relocation site, parent notice and numbers.
Your plan, part 2
Special needs, continuity, roles, training and review dates.
Evacuation and reunification
Step by step, to post by each exit.
Shelter-in-place and lockdown
Your safe rooms, signals and steps.
Short-term go-bag
For evacuations of up to 6 hours.
72-hour go-bag
With the water you need per person per day.
Drill schedule and log
How often, and a log for every drill.
Emergency contacts card
Cut out, one for every staff member.
FAQ
Questions directors ask
What should a daycare emergency plan include?
Under the federal CCDF rule, 45 CFR 98.41, the plan covers evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place and lockdown; staff and volunteer training and practice drills; communication and reunification with families; continuity of operations; and accommodation of infants and toddlers, children with disabilities and children with chronic medical conditions. Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.3 adds primary and secondary meeting places and how you will notify parents.
How often should a daycare do fire drills?
Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.5 says fire drills monthly, tornado drills monthly in tornado season, flood drills before flood season, earthquake drills every 6 months and hurricane drills yearly. State rules vary: Georgia DECAL and Utah R381-70-14 both set monthly fire drills and other drills every six months. Check your state licensing rules.
What goes in a daycare emergency go-bag?
Child Care Aware of America lists papers (the daily roster, emergency contacts and the approved pickup list, signed release forms, care plans), water, allergy-safe food and infant formula, first aid supplies and medications, diapers and sanitation supplies, a phone charger, weather radio and flashlight, and comfort items like blankets, clothes, books and toys.
How much water should a child care emergency kit have?
Child Care Aware of America suggests 1 to 2 gallons for every 4 people in the short-term kit, for evacuations of up to 6 hours, and 1 gallon per person per day in the 72-hour kit.
How often should we review the emergency plan?
Caring for Our Children 9.2.4.3 says to review the plan twice a year and after any relevant event, and to train staff on it. The federal CCDF rule also requires training on emergency preparedness.
How should a daycare run and record drills?
Record every drill, vary the time of day (including nap time), use all exits and time each drill. Caring for Our Children also says to use the daily roster during drills and to have the fire evacuation plan approved by a fire inspector.
Does this template work for a home daycare?
Yes. Choose home daycare in the builder and the plan adds a backup adult and a single roster. The parts of the plan are the same. Your state licensing rules may set more, so check them.
Is this daycare emergency plan template free?
Yes. The plan builder and the 8-page kit are free, with no sign-up needed to use the builder. Nothing you type is saved or sent: the PDF is made in your browser. It is general guidance; your state licensing agency has the final word.
More free forms: Childcare emergency contact form · Childcare safety checklist · Childcare attendance software · All free forms
For the whole program
A plan your staff can follow
Build your plan, pack both go-bags, put the next drill on the calendar, and pass this page on to another director.
Made by the team at MyKidReports, childcare software for centers and home daycares. See what we make