Quick answer
Make a one-page plan with the child's full name, caregiver contacts, one out-of-area contact, home address, school or care information, and two meeting places. Explain which trusted adults may help, where the plan card stays, and what the child should do if family members are separated. Practice one short scenario at a time. Review the plan with schools, caregivers, and everyone in the household. Because the safest action changes by hazard, teach children to follow instructions from caregivers, school staff, emergency officials, and local authorities rather than using one response for every event.[1][3][4]
- Give children a small number of actions they can repeat in their own words.
- Choose both a nearby meeting place and a location outside the immediate neighborhood.
- Use an out-of-area contact when local family members may have trouble reaching one another.
- Coordinate the plan with school, child care, relatives, and other regular caregivers.
- Teach that evacuation, sheltering, and other protective actions differ by hazard and must follow local authority instructions.
- Practice calmly, notice what causes confusion, and update the plan when contact or care information changes.
Start with the decisions a child actually needs
Adults may need insurance records, medication lists, utility information, evacuation maps, and supply inventories. Those belong in the household plan, but a child's version should begin with immediate decisions. If we are not together, which adult is responsible for you? If you cannot go home, where do you stay? If phones work, whom do you contact? If they do not, which adult's instructions do you follow?
Ready.gov recommends that households consider how they will receive alerts, where they will shelter, what evacuation route they may use, how they will communicate, and whether the family emergency kit needs updating.[1] Discuss these questions as adults first. Then translate the answers into short instructions that fit the child's age and normal routine.
Use familiar language. A young child may understand, "Stay with your teacher until Dad, Aunt Rosa, or another person on the pickup list arrives." An older child may be able to follow a communication sequence and locate a meeting place. Ask the child to explain the plan back to you. Their explanation will show whether a direction is clear or only sounds clear to an adult.
Write down contacts and essential information
Create a paper contact card even if a child carries a phone. Devices can be unavailable, uncharged, left behind, or locked. Include the child's full name, home address, caregiver names, caregiver phone numbers, one out-of-area contact, and the name and number of the school or child care program. Add essential medical or communication information only when it is useful to the adults responsible for the child, and store it with appropriate privacy in mind.
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises families to choose one person, preferably someone outside the local area who may not be affected by the same emergency, for everyone to contact if they are separated.[5] Tell that person they are listed, confirm the best number, and explain their role.
Children who are ready can learn their address and one caregiver number through ordinary repetition. Do not make memorization the only backup. Put copies of the card in a backpack, household emergency kit, and another agreed location. Caregivers should keep the same information in their own phones and on paper.
- Child's full name and home address
- Primary caregiver names and phone numbers
- One out-of-area contact and phone number
- School, child care, or program contact information
- Approved pickup people, when relevant
- Brief medical, allergy, disability, language, or communication information needed for safe care
Choose meeting places for different situations
One meeting place cannot cover every separation. Choose a spot immediately outside the home for a quick household evacuation, plus an alternative location outside the neighborhood in case returning home is not possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a meeting place outside the home, while CDC guidance recommends an alternative meeting location for times when family members cannot return home.[3][5]
A meeting place should be specific enough that nobody waits on the wrong side of a large building or park. Instead of "the library," choose "the bench beside the library's main entrance." Check whether the place is normally reachable, accessible to household members, and appropriate in the hazards likely to affect your area.
Children should not travel alone to a distant meeting place unless that action is age-appropriate, explicitly part of the family plan, and safe under current official instructions. For many children, the correct plan is to remain with a teacher, caregiver, or other trusted adult until an approved pickup or reunification process is completed.
| Situation | Example location | What the child needs to know |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving the home quickly | A neighbor's fence, mailbox, or other nearby outdoor landmark | Go there with the supervising adult and stay together. |
| Unable to return home | A familiar library, community center, or relative's home outside the neighborhood | Use this only when a responsible adult or official plan directs you there. |
| Separated during the school day | The school's announced reunification location | Stay with staff and follow the school's release procedure. |
| Wider area evacuation | A relative's home or agreed location outside the affected area | Adults choose the route based on local authority instructions. |
Teach that the right action depends on the hazard
Avoid teaching one universal instruction such as "always go outside" or "always go home." Protective actions differ. A building fire may require leaving by a safe exit. Severe weather or hazardous outdoor air may require sheltering indoors. An evacuation order may direct families along a particular route. Other events may require a different room, location, or response.
CDC preparedness guidance tells families to learn about likely emergencies, make plans for children, and follow directions from local officials before, during, and after an emergency.[3][4] Your household plan should therefore match local hazards and guidance from emergency management agencies, schools, and public safety authorities. Review local alert systems and any instructions issued for floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, extreme heat, hazardous materials, or other relevant conditions.
Give a child a simple rule for uncertainty: stay with the responsible adult, listen for current instructions, and do not leave a safe supervised place merely to reach a planned meeting point. Explain that emergency officials may change routes or locations because conditions have changed. A plan is a starting structure, not permission to ignore live instructions.
Turn the plan into a visual sequence
A visual plan can help a child find the next step without scanning a page of adult text. Use one action per line with a plain icon or picture: stay with your adult, go to the named place, show or use the contact card, and wait for instructions. Pair every symbol with words so adults can interpret it consistently.
Base the sequence on a real routine rather than a dramatic scene. A photo of the actual meeting landmark is more useful than a generic picture labeled "safe place." A photo of each approved caregiver can support recognition, but children should still follow the school's or program's identity and release procedures.
If you want a familiar visual for a planning folder, ColorKind is a free-to-try app that turns a photo or written idea into a printable coloring page. You could make a simple page of the actual meeting landmark, the family go bag, or a trusted caregiver's car. Treat it as a conversation or familiarity aid, not safety training and not a substitute for practicing the actual plan.
Children who respond well to visual routines may benefit from the same design principles used in a daily schedule: short labels, consistent order, and pictures tied to concrete actions. Keep a full adult plan separately so simplifying the child's page does not remove information caregivers need.
Teach the plan in a short, repeatable order
Introduce one piece at a time during an ordinary, calm part of the day. Start with people and places the child already knows. Then rehearse the sequence verbally before adding movement. Ready.gov offers family emergency planning specifically for children, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends practicing the household plan.[2][5]
Keep the first practice brief. A preschooler might point to caregiver pictures and walk to the nearby meeting spot with an adult. An elementary-age child might locate the contact card, name the out-of-area contact, and explain what to do during school dismissal. A teen can review alert settings, transportation options, communication backups, and responsibilities for younger household members without becoming solely responsible for them.
- Name the situation simply: "We cannot meet at home right now."
- Identify the responsible adult: "Stay with your teacher, coach, caregiver, or the adult in charge."
- Choose the correct place: "Use the school reunification location or the place an official tells us to use."
- Separate urgent help from reunification: alert the supervising adult or call 911 for immediate emergency help if the child has been taught when and how. For family updates, text the designated contact first when possible, then follow the household's backup call plan.[5][6]
- Repeat the stopping rule: do not travel somewhere else or leave supervision without adult direction.
- Ask the child to explain the steps back in their own words, then correct only what needs correction.
Assign realistic roles and plan for individual needs
Adults can divide tasks such as collecting medication, securing pets, bringing the emergency kit, checking alerts, or contacting relatives. Give children only roles that are safe, optional, and easy to complete under supervision. Carrying their contact card or putting on shoes may be appropriate. Retrieving supplies from another room during an evacuation is not.
Build the plan around each household member's needs. Ready.gov advises considering ages, medical requirements, disabilities, languages, pets, dietary needs, and other circumstances when creating a household plan.[1] CDC guidance likewise emphasizes planning for children's needs and helping them understand what to expect.[3] Think about mobility equipment, sensory needs, communication devices, medications, service animals, comfort objects, and the adult help required to use them.
For children who communicate without speech, prepare an accessible way to share their name, caregiver contacts, and essential needs. For children who may hide, wander, freeze, or run when overwhelmed, discuss practical support with caregivers and school staff. A visual card or social narrative can support the plan, but it should reflect the child's actual communication system and be practiced with the adults who will use it.
Coordinate with school, child care, and other caregivers
A family plan can fail if it assumes a school will release children immediately or at its usual entrance. Schools and child care programs may use controlled reunification procedures, alternate locations, identification checks, and approved pickup lists. CDC recommends learning the emergency plans used by the places where children spend time and making sure those organizations have current emergency contact information.[3][4]
Ask how the program communicates closures or relocation, where reunification information will be posted, what identification an adult must bring, how authorized pickups are managed, and how medication or disability supports continue during an emergency. Update every approved adult rather than assuming information will pass between relatives.
Teach the child that staying with staff is part of the family plan. They should not leave school to walk home, meet a sibling, or search for a caregiver unless the school's procedure and the responsible adults specifically direct it. If a bus, after-school program, sports team, or shared custody schedule affects the plan, write down who is responsible during each transition.
- Confirm emergency contacts and approved pickup names.
- Learn how the program announces relocation and reunification sites.
- Ask how medication, mobility, sensory, and communication needs are supported.
- Share relevant parts of the family plan with regular caregivers.
- Include transportation and after-school arrangements.
Practice calmly and keep the plan current
Practice should make the routine more familiar, not test whether a child can perform under fear. Tell children it is a practice, describe what will happen, and stop if someone becomes overwhelmed. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends creating and practicing a family disaster plan while talking with children about what they should do.[5]
After each practice, ask what felt unclear. Did the child know which entrance or landmark you meant? Could they find the card? Did a phone number change? Was the chosen route accessible? Correct the plan rather than blaming the child. A confusing rehearsal is useful because it reveals a decision adults need to simplify.
Review the plan when a family moves, a child changes schools, custody or caregiving arrangements change, contact numbers change, medical needs change, or local guidance identifies a new concern. CDC specifically recommends reviewing plans yearly and keeping contact information up to date.[4] Replace outdated cards in every location and tell the out-of-area contact about important updates.
End practice by returning to normal activity and reminding children that adults, school staff, emergency workers, and community helpers have responsibilities too. Preparedness is not a promise that every event will unfold as expected. It is a shared way to reduce confusion, communicate, and follow the best available instructions.
Frequently asked questions
At what age can a child learn a family emergency plan?
Children can begin learning simple parts as soon as they can recognize trusted caregivers and follow short routines. A young child may learn to stay with the adult in charge and identify a nearby meeting place. Older children can learn contact information and communication steps. Match the plan to the individual child rather than relying on age alone, and keep adult responsibility clear.[2][5]
Should a child memorize a phone number?
Memorizing one caregiver number can be useful when it is developmentally appropriate, but it should not be the only method. Provide a paper contact card, keep copies in agreed locations, and make sure schools and caregivers have current information. Include an out-of-area contact who knows they are part of the plan.[1][4][5]
What if our child is at school during an emergency?
The child should remain with school staff and follow the school's emergency and reunification procedures. Caregivers should learn those procedures in advance, keep pickup permissions current, and watch the school's official communication channels. Do not instruct a child to leave independently unless that is explicitly safe, age-appropriate, and consistent with school and local authority directions.[3][4]
How often should a family practice the plan?
Practice often enough that names, locations, and steps remain familiar, and review the plan at least yearly or whenever contacts, schools, care arrangements, health needs, or addresses change. Keep practices short, tell children what you are practicing, and use each rehearsal to find and fix unclear instructions.[2][4][5]
Should every emergency use the same meeting place and actions?
No. The safest action depends on the hazard, location, and current conditions. Evacuation may be appropriate in one situation while sheltering is safer in another. Meeting locations can also become unavailable. Families should understand local hazards, receive official alerts, and follow instructions from local authorities, schools, caregivers, and emergency officials.[1][3][4]