A child’s learning community (early childhood service, school or outside school hours care (OSHC)) can be an important support. After the temporary chaos of a disaster, returning to an education setting can help a child regain a sense that the world is familiar and predictable, with structures, schedules, rituals and relationships they understand.
‘At the time, I didn’t want the girls to go to school. I didn’t want them to hear people’s trauma stories. But looking back I realise they needed to go and have that shared experience.’
– Sarnia, mother of three, reflecting on her family’s experience of disaster
These settings are also ideal places to provide children with opportunities to process the disaster’s events creatively through play, stories, conversation and art. It is common for a disaster to affect most or all the families and children in a geographical area. The learning community can provide an ideal environment for a group of children and adults affected by the same event to share stories, make meaning and explore coping strategies together.
Learning communities are well-positioned to support children in both the immediate aftermath and the medium- to long-term recovery phases. It is crucial to avoid overloading these settings with excessive programs during the response and recovery phases. However, as schools and early learning services progress beyond the immediate crisis, they often become more ready and eager to engage in medium- to long-term support. During this period, learning communities may identify children who require further assistance and can benefit from additional support. Building strong relationships with these communities is essential to ensure that the resources and programs are effectively integrated and used.
‘Schools have a big role to play for children (and parents) to regain a sense of safety, human warmth and predictability after an event that has challenged these. A “whole school” approach is powerful. However, protecting school leaders and staff from taking too much responsibility is important.’
– Chris Gostelow, psychologist and former Chief Psychologist with the Department of Education, Western Australia
Practitioners also strongly recommend implementing resources and programs that help children develop resilience in the preparedness phase, which can be mobilised and repurposed as needed by teachers and educators supporting children through response, short-term and long-term recovery. You can read more about this in the paper Disaster preparedness with a focus on infants, children and families.