Emergency Response Procedures

In the event of an emergency, the Assistant Director assumes responsibility to take action when the Director is not on site. If, in the unusual case that neither are on site, the Director or Assistant Director will designate a Teacher to take action in the case of an emergency. All staff are trained on emergency procedures, and Teachers should be prepared to take on this role if necessary. 

Medical Emergency

In the case of a serious medical emergency (such as unconsciousness, broken bones, serious cuts, foreign object in eye, nose, ear, etc.):

  1. Call 7-HELP (7-4357), Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety. Stay on the telephone long enough to answer all questions. They will dispatch Georgetown Emergency Medical Service (G.E.R.M.S.) or a D.C. ambulance to the Center.
  2. Notify Director. 
  3. Call parent.
  4. The child’s emergency form is kept in the files in each Go Bag and physical form, if needed, is on file in the office. One of the three administrators will have a key to access the locked drawer. Take them with you to Georgetown University Hospital. The child’s teacher rides with the child in the ambulance to the hospital if the parent has not arrived. Wait there for the parent to arrive.
  5. Notify the Center as soon as possible as to what the situation is.
  6. When returning to the Center, fill out an incident report form and put it in the Director’s mailbox.
  7. If at all possible, a staff member with whom the child is comfortable should stay with the injured child. A second staff person should make necessary phone calls. The other children in the class will be in the care of a staff member designated by the Director.

For suspicion of ingestion of poisonous material call the Poison Control number: 1-800-222-1222 and follow their instructions.

In the case of dental emergencies (broken or knocked-out tooth, bitten tongue or lip), the parent must be called immediately. If the injury includes excessive bleeding that will not stop or a serious cut, then it is considered a medical emergency and the medical emergency procedures above will be followed. In the case of a knocked-out tooth, locate the tooth, rinse off the root and place it in a cup of milk, or water if milk is not available. The parent will be advised to take the child to a dentist immediately. For a bitten tongue or lip, clean the area gently with a cloth and then apply cold compresses to reduce the swelling.

Lost or Missing Child

In the case of a missing or lost child, the following procedures will be followed:

  1. Call 911 (if off-campus) or 7-HELP (if on campus) immediately. State that a child is missing and give the first name and a physical description of the child including what he/she is wearing. 
  2. Gather the rest of the children together and ensure they are in a safe area where one or two adults (depending on the size of the group) can supervise the group while the other(s) can continue searching and also notify others to start searching. If at all possible, the group should remain where it is in case the child comes back to the group’s last location.
  3. Notify Director.
  4. Notify Parents.
  5. Check surrounding area again and retrace the group’s steps.
  6. Provide a recent picture to individuals in the search party that do not know what the child looks like.

Evacuations

  1. Pull the fire alarm.
  2. Evacuate the building, bringing the following items: Go Bags, classroom mobile phones, and attendance charts.
  3. As you are exiting the building, the teacher in the back of each group of children is responsible for counting the children ahead to ensure that all children are exiting the building 
  4. Proceed to the White-Gravenor lawn area, patio, or in the event of inclement weather, the main entrance vestibule. Once there, immediately account for all children by using classroom attendance records.
  5. Do not allow anyone back into the building unless officers from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) have sounded the “ALL CLEAR.”
  6. Provide initial information (return to building or move to holding area – see #7).
  7. If unable to return to Poulton Hall, move all occupants (using normal attendance and accounting procedures) as instructed by DPS to the Hall of Athletes in the southwest corner on the main floor of Leavey Center or to the Car Barn indoor entrance area located on Prospect Street at the corner of 36th Street. The Red supply duffel bag will be retrieved from the admissions office and brought to the location. 
  8. Once again, account for all children by using classroom attendance records.
  9. Await for additional information from DPS.

Instructions for parents:

  1. Call HKLC (202-687-7667) to listen for a pre-recorded voice mail message. This should provide our initial evacuation location. Just remember, depending on the emergency situation, we may not have the time to retrieve or respond to messages left on voice mail. Please keep this in mind.
  2. An email will be sent out to all parents using the HKLCemergency-L listproc to notify parents of our location. This is a backup method of communication in the event phone systems are down. Please check your email. 
  3. We will also attempt to post our evacuation location on the door of the HKLC, just in case all other modes of communication are down or go down after evacuation occurs.
  4. As more information is available, voice mail and email messages will be updated, 
  5. If it is safe to do so, parents may meet us or pick up their children from our evacuation location. 
  6. If necessary, we will make our best attempt to contact parents who have not been informed of the evacuation. We will use contact #’s from children’s’ files. Please ensure that these numbers are kept current. 

Conditions that may warrant temporary emergency closure of the Center:

  • Loss of one or more utilities (power, water, heat, air conditioning, etc) that adversely impacts the environment with uncertain time-frame for restoration
  • Any condition to the physical space that would be significantly detrimental to the safety or well-being of the occupants, particularly the children.
  • Any order passed down from the District of Columbia or Federal Government, the University Administration (inclement weather included).

If adverse conditions impact the HKLC during the day, all attempts will be made to relocate services to a safe, appropriate location on campus for the remainder of the day. This will be done only if it is determined that the move will safely and hygienically accommodate the children’s physiological needs (food, sleep, diaper changes, toilets, etc.)  A decision will be made by the Director of the HKLC in conjunction with the DC Department of Health (licensing), University Facilities Management, and University Safety and Environmental Management as to whether or not operations may resume the following day in the Center or alternate campus location. 

Shelter in Place

In the event of a situation that would require us to shelter in place, the University will sound a loud steam whistle to alert you to go indoors. We would also receive notification if we were already indoors to activate our Shelter-in-place plan as described below:

  • Move children to the areas of the building that are away from windows. (Upstairs bathroom, hallway to Koalas, and Koala cubby area)
  • Close all windows and secure all doors
  • Be sure ventilation system is shut down
  • If you are away from the Center on a walk with the children, go into the nearest campus building and find an area away from windows. Look for a Floor or Building Marshal with a red or yellow hat and a neon safety vest. Notify the Director as to your location and status.