CHILD CARE AND PRESCHOOL PANDEMIC INFLUENZA PLANNING CHECKLIST
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges that
people have little or no immunity to and for which there may be no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-
to-person and causes serious illness. It can sweep across the country and around the world very quickly. It is
hard to predict when the next flu pandemic will occur or how bad it will be.
Child care and preschool programs can help protect the health of their staff and the children and families they serve. Interruptions
in child care services during an influenza (flu) pandemic may cause conflicts for working parents that could result in high
absenteeism in workplaces. Some of that absenteeism could be expected to affect personnel and workplaces that are critical to
the emergency response system. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) offer this checklist to help programs prepare for the effects of a flu pandemic. Many of these steps can
also help in other types of emergencies. More information on pandemic flu is available at www.pandemicflu.gov.
1. Planning and Coordination:
Form a committee of staff members and parents to produce a plan for dealing with a flu pandemic.
Include members from all different groups your program serves. Include parents who do not speak
English who can help contact other non-English speakers in the community. Staff of very small
programs might consider joining together with other similar programs for planning.
Assign one person to identify reliable sources of information and watch for public health warnings
about flu, school closings, and other actions taken to prevent the spread of flu.
Learn who in your area has legal authority to close child care programs if there is a flu emergency.
Learn whether the local/state health departments and agencies that regulate child care have plans. Be
sure your flu plan is in line with their pl