Fifth-grade students at the Pansophia Academy in Coldwater, MI, recently participated in a national program called Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP).  The DailyReporter.com reported that “Pansophia Academy was the first of 11 schools [across Michigan] to teach the curriculum to fifth-graders during this school year and were put on video to show other schools how the program works.” The curriculum includes learning “how to prepare for disasters, react during emergencies and develop a supply kit.”  The fifth-graders at Pansophia “received an emergency-ready kit, which they filled with items and information that can be used by their families.”

The program developed by FEMA, “was initially piloted in the New England states and was offered in Wisconsin last year [2011].”  It “provides teachers with materials, at no cost to the school, including instructor guide, copies of student handouts and starter emergency supply kit for each student. The basic lesson includes one hour of instruction, but teachers have the option of expanding the lessons to include eight hours of materials.”