THE PAWS PROGRAM
ALERTING CHILDCARE WHEN THERE’S A NEARBY EMERGENCY
The PAWS program was implemented in 2019 within Leon County and helps more than 235 licensed childcare facilities and schools stay informed of active threats in their area, through messages right from the 9-1-1 dispatch center. It is a 24-hour alert system designed by the CDA and operated in coordination with law enforcement.
PAWS sends text and phone messages in real-time to alert childcare facilities and schools within 0.5 miles of an emergency situation. This system was developed in coordination with From Cradle to College Foundation, Inc., which launched the Preschool Emergency Alert Response Learning System (PEARLS).
HOW THE PAWS PROGRAM WORKS:
- Law Enforcement discovers a threat and responds
- Law Enforcement tells the CDA about the ongoing threat
- Law Enforcement asks a CDA supervisor to alert Leon County Schools and participating childcare facilities in the area
- Messages go out via automated recorded message and by text from the 9-1-1 dispatch center to all participating facilities near the emergency
More Information
PEARLS made one of the first daycare alert systems in Florida, and the CDA’s 24-hour alert system exceeds its high standards. PEARLS offers training for local childcare providers. For details, call Marie O’Connell at (941) 779-6149 or send an email to moconnell@fctcf.org.