Program Name:
ESP Activity Book for Kids
Administering Agency:
Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management
Contact:
Joyce Harris, ESP Program Manager
Address:
1275 N. Eastern Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90063
Telephone:
323-980-2267
Fax:
323-881-6897
Email:
joyceh@lacoeoc.org
Program Summary
The Emergency Survival
Program (ESP) Activity Book for Kids is a creative publication designed to
help children become more aware and prepared for disasters in a fun and
non-frightening way. Elementary school children from kindergarten to fourth
grade are the target audience for the book. Most of the puzzles, coloring
pages and activity sheets are original in design and serve as a reminder
that preparedness is important to children as well as adults.
Earthquakes and other
disasters can rattle children’s nerves and can be quite unsettling. To help
address this problem, the County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency
Management developed an innovative ESP Activity Book for Kids to provide
children with advance knowledge and a general understanding of emergency
preparedness actions through eye-catching and interesting puzzles, coloring
pages, and activity sheets. The book was produced as a stand-alone product
of the Emergency Survival Program (ESP) public education campaign, developed
by Los Angeles County in 1989. Since its development in 1996, the book’s
creative approach to preparedness for children has been instrumental in
improving the emergency readiness of young children everywhere.
The motivation for the
publication was a concern and need for children to be better prepared for
earthquakes and other emergencies in a way that they could easily
understand. The book helps children to not only become familiar with and
talk about earthquakes and other disasters, but to learn what they should do
to be better prepared in a fun and non-frightening way.
Program Operational
The ESP Activity Book for
Kids was developed by the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management
in 1996 as a stand-alone publication of the Emergency Survival Program (ESP)
public education campaign, which began in April 1989. It continues to be
one of the most requested and used products of the ESP region-wide
campaign.
Major Purposes
Disasters, natural and
man-made, can leave children feeling frightened, insecure and upset.
Although no one can prevent earthquakes and other disasters from occurring,
it’s important to help children to be aware of the types of disasters that
can occur so they will feel more safe and secure both during and after the
event.
We live in an age of
heightened anxiety due to the threat of terrorism and other man-made or
natural disasters. If earthquakes, fires, floods, bombs, and other
disasters are frightening to adults, just think of how scary and disruptive
they are to the lives of children.
Frequent requests from
concerned parents and teachers are a key indicator that emergency
preparedness information for children is needed.
Programs that are easy
for children to understand and use aren’t readily available. The book
offers a solution to this problem by making this original and informative
publication available. This new service fills a gap in the availability of
emergency preparedness information for children.
Specific Activities
and Operations
The book has quickly
become one of the most popular and frequently requested publications. Free
copies continue to be distributed in California and across the nation to
numerous public and private elementary schools, day care centers, Girl Scout
and Boy Scout troops, to parents who are home-schooling their children, and
to other members of the general public. This exceptional publication has
been instrumental in improving the preparedness level of young children
everywhere.
We estimate that over
100,000 booklets have been printed and distributed to the public, free of
charge. In addition, copies of the book are frequently made by the user,
thus saving the County the expenditure of providing copies to individual
schools. All of the 426 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified
School District, with a total of over 255,600 school children, have received
and most use the popular book. Additional schools within the Los Angeles
County Office of Education system are also beneficiaries of the book.
Several other unified school districts, along with public and private
schools throughout a 15 county region-wide area, continue to copy and
distribute the book within their jurisdictions.
New Approaches and
Methods
The ESP Activity Book for
Kids takes a new and creative approach to emergency preparedness by making
it fun to learn about disasters. This helps to lessen the fear and panic
when a real disaster occurs. Schools are also encouraged to use the book as
a lesson aid and discussion item for the classroom.
Program Funding
The Los Angeles County
Office of Emergency Management, as the developer of the book, paid for the
initial publication from its annual emergency preparedness budget. Copies
continue to be made at a cost of approximately $5,000 per year from the
County’s emergency preparedness and response budget. Los Angeles County has
formed partnerships with major corporations, such as Toyota Motor Sales, to
assist with the printing of the books. We have received in-kind printing
donations of over $10,000.
Members of the
region-wide 15 County Emergency Survival Program Coordinating Council are
instrumental in promoting its usage throughout all communities. Each of the
counties prints and distributes its own copies of the book. In addition,
both public and private schools use the masters or PDFs to print and
distribute copies of the book throughout the school system.
Los Angeles County has
also formed an impressive partnership with the media which has been
instrumental in helping to get emergency preparedness information out to the
public. Thousands of dollars have been saved through these estimated 70%
public and 30% private sector partnerships.
Program Staffing
1 FTE
One employee from the Los
Angeles County Office of Emergency Management developed and authored the ESP
Activity Book for Kids in 1996. The book is currently promoted throughout a
15 County ESP Coordinating Council area.
Program Origin
The ESP Activity Book for
Kids was developed by the County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency
Management in 1996. The ESP Activity Book for Kids has been copied by a
number of jurisdictions, but it originated in Los Angeles County.
Achievement of Stated
Purposes
The book has proven its
success in many ways. Periodic surveys conducted on campaign materials,
which include the book, have indicated widespread use and favorable comments
regarding its usefulness. Los Angeles County has received positive comments
and numerous letters of appreciation from various school organizations and
others who have integrated the book into their emergency planning and
training. Letters and drawings have also been received from students
detailing their emergency preparedness actions as a result of using the
book.
The book is provided in
both English and Spanish which increases its outreach throughout various
communities. We continue to receive requests for copies, re-printable
masters or PDFs. The book has received numerous local and national awards.
The book’s innovative
approach to preparedness for children has made it an invaluable public
education tool that is being used both in the United States and other
countries. It offers a fresh and simple way for children to prepare for
emergencies. Participation is enhanced through region-wide actions taken by
the media and others.
Los Angeles County, as
the developer and coordinator of the book, has gone well above the normal
scope of work to create and assure widespread distribution of the book
throughout California, to many other states, and to numerous communities in
other countries. This has promoted intergovernmental cooperation and
coordination in addressing the shared problem of helping children to prepare
for and cope with disasters.
Program Modifications
The book’s successful
expansion can be attributed, in part, to the fact that it is easy to
replicate. Camera-ready masters of the book are available upon request,
making it very cost effective and efficient to use. Counties or others are
encouraged to add their own logos, duplicate the book, and adopt it as their
own community public education program. The book is free of copyright
restrictions, which also increases its use. It assists all jurisdictions in
their emergency planning requirements by providing excellent and usable
information. The book is also a highly successful way for schools with
limited funds and resources to prepare their students for earthquakes and
other emergencies.
Revisions and updates to
the book are made as needed and it has been placed on the worldwide web at
www.espfocus.org
and at
www.cert-la.com/ESP
for easy access by the various users. Electronic mail is also used to
forward copies as attachments for widespread use. Zip disks or CD ROMs
containing the book are also available on request.
Additional Comments
Elementary school
children everywhere are much better prepared now than they were before Los
Angeles County developed the innovative ESP Activity Book for Kids, which is
and continues to be on the leading edge of emergency preparedness.
