Active Threat Preparation and Response for Early Childhood Settings
Training to help you plan for and respond to active shooter or intruder threats.
Course Overview
This course is for all directors, administrators, and childcare providers in center and home settings.
This course will help you create effective emergency plans for active shooter and intruder threats without creating fear. Prepare for the unthinkable with calm, confidence, and compassion. Learn how to build safety routines, train your team, and conduct child-friendly drills that empower instead of alarm. With a trauma-informed approach, you’ll explore strategies for lockdowns, evacuations, communication, and emotional recovery for both children and staff. This course will help you protect your program’s most precious resource: its people.
See the course learning outcomes and topics below for more on what you will learn.
This course is offered in our online format and includes audio narration in most course sections:
Acceptance information
Click to view:
This course is accepted in the following states except as otherwise indicated:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio - [not yet approved]
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina - [not yet approved]
- South Dakota
- Tennessee - [not yet approved]
- Texas - [approved for annual training requirements but not yet approved by TECPDS]
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington - this course is not accepted through STARS or by the Washington MERIT Registry and may not be used for professional development hours in the state of Washington.
- Washington, DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
For state-specific information, see our State Training pages.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course you will be able to:
- Describe the essential components of a comprehensive emergency plan for childcare facilities
- Explain the procedures for evacuation, lockdown, and reunification in a childcare emergency
- Identify trauma-informed strategies and language to conduct child-friendly emergency drills
Topics covered
- Recognizing the importance of active threat preparedness
- Turning anxiety into readiness
- Building a comprehensive emergency plan
- Evacuation, lockdown, and reunification procedures
- Communication strategies for during and after a crisis
- Assigning roles and responsibilities during emergencies
- Practicing drills with children in developmentally appropriate ways
- Trauma-informed, child-friendly language for drills
- Training your team with confidence
- Partnering with families and maintaining open communication
- Intruder response and the “run, hide, fight” model
- Relationships with law enforcement and community responders
- Supporting children and staff after a crisis
- Conducting after-action reviews and improving your emergency plan
How Care Courses® Training Works: Details & Support
Click to view:
Course Details & Support
Prerequisites
- Language: Fluent reading and writing in the language of instruction (English or Spanish).
- Technology: Internet access and a web-enabled device (computer, smartphone, or tablet).
Access & Completion Deadline
- This training expires 12 months from the date of purchase.
- To receive a certificate of completion, you must successfully finish the course before the expiration date.
Learning Methods
- Read instructor-written material
- Watch videos
- Listen to audio segments
Assessments
- Multiple-choice quizzes
- Written assignments
Requirements for CEUs and Clock Hours
To earn CEUs and Clock Hours for a course, you must:
- Agree to and acknowledge our Honor Code & Policy
- Follow all instructions for written assignments
- Demonstrate comprehension of the course content
- Achieve the passing score specified in your course.
Quizzes and Assessments
- If your score falls below the passing mark, a trainer will review your work. If needed, you may be asked to speak with a trainer.
- You will have a second chance to retake any quiz or assessment.
- If you do not pass on your second attempt, contact us at info@carecourses.com. We will review your course and follow up directly.
- All quizzes are open book; all answers are found in the course material.
Certificates
- Official Care Courses certificates of completion record your clock hours and CEUs.
- Certificates are available in the My Courses area of your account.
- Please note: All course and certificate dates and times are on Eastern Time.
Getting Started
- See how our training works on the training process page.
- Watch our course navigation video for a quick tour of the online portal.
- Free Unlimited Assistance
- We’re here to help with training, billing, and technical support questions.
- Phone: 1-800-685-7610 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern)
- Email: info@CareCourses.com or techsupport@CareCourses.com (days, evenings, and weekends)
About Care Courses
- Care Courses offers over 50 professional development courses and one non-credit training tutorial on the CDA process.
- All professional development courses include clock hours, CEUs, and an official online certificate of completion.
- (The free CDA tutorial does not offer clock hours or a certificate.)
Tuition & Bundles
- Course tuition entitles one person to receive the clock hours and CEUs granted upon successful completion.
- Bundle pricing covers tuition for all courses included in the bundle.
Policies & Requirements
