The Home Daycare Go-Bag: What to Actually Keep By the Door

The smoke alarm goes off, or the sky turns that greenish color that means get everyone inside — and either way, you may only have a minute or two before you're standing on the sidewalk with a group of kids who are counting on you to have thought this through. Your fire drill or severe weather drill gets everyone out the door safely. The go-bag is what you grab on the way out so that once you're outside, you can actually take care of them.

This article is only about what goes in that bag. If you're looking for how to run the drill itself, or how to log it for your licensor, those are covered separately — this is just the physical kit.

Why a go-bag is different from a first aid kit

Your first aid kit treats scraped knees on a normal Tuesday. A go-bag assumes something bigger just happened: the power might be out, your phone might be dead or have no signal, and you might be standing outside your house — or somewhere else entirely — with every child you're responsible for and no easy way to reach a parent. It needs to answer three questions fast: who is missing, who has a medical need I have to manage right now, and how do I reach a parent if my phone is dead. If the power outage is the whole problem rather than something you're evacuating from, that's a longer-horizon question covered separately in our emergency generator and backup power guide.

What actually belongs in the bag

A printed emergency contact roster — every enrolled child's parent names and phone numbers, plus a backup contact for each. If your phone is dead or the network is down, this is the only copy that still works.
A printed copy of today's attendance/sign-in log — so you can account for every single child who's in your care right now, not just the ones enrolled. This is the fastest way to know if someone is missing.
Copies of emergency medical authorization forms — the signed consent that lets you seek treatment for a child if a parent can't be reached immediately.
Any critical rescue medication currently in use — an EpiPen, rescue inhaler, or similar, clearly labeled with the child's name. If a child in your care has one on file, it needs to travel with the bag, not stay behind in a cabinet.
A flashlight that doesn't need an outlet — battery-powered or hand-crank, checked periodically so it actually works when you grab it.
Basic first aid supplies — a compact version of what's in your main kit: gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, non-latex gloves. This isn't a replacement for your full kit, just enough to handle something small until you're settled.
Water and a few non-perishable snacks — enough to get a group of kids through an unplanned hour or two outside, especially if evacuation means waiting on a curb rather than walking back inside five minutes later.
A whistle — to get attention in a chaotic outdoor scene, whether that's from a child who's wandered a few feet too far or from someone who can help you.
A portable phone charger, charged and ready — your phone is your lifeline to parents and to 911; a dead battery at the worst moment defeats the whole point of the bag.

Some providers also add a couple of comfort items — a small stuffed toy or coloring sheet — since a scared toddler standing on a sidewalk is a real management problem, not just a nice-to-have. That's optional; the list above is the core.

Packing it for a mixed-age group, not just "kids" generically

A go-bag built for a group of six-year-olds looks different from one built for a group that includes an infant. If your enrollment spans ages, the standard list above needs a few age-specific additions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach:

Infants and pre-walkers need a way to be carried or contained if you're managing several other children at once — a lightweight carrier or a compact stroller kept near the bag, not necessarily in it, so you're not choosing between carrying a baby and holding two other kids' hands.
A change of clothes isn't standard, but if you regularly care for a child in diapers or one who's newly potty trained, a couple of spare outfits and diapers in a sealed bag can matter more than it sounds like it would during a stressful hour outside.
Comfort items scale with age. What settles a two-year-old (a familiar small toy) does nothing for a nine-year-old, who's more likely to want honest information about what's happening and a job to do — even something as small as "hold the whistle" gives an older child a sense of purpose instead of just standing there scared.

None of this needs to be elaborate. The point is that "the kids" in your care aren't interchangeable in an emergency, and a five-minute think-through of your actual current roster is more useful than a generic checklist copied from someone else's very different group.

Where it lives matters as much as what's in it

A go-bag stuffed with the right supplies but stored in a hall closet behind the vacuum is functionally useless — you won't remember it exists thirty seconds into an actual fire, and even if you do, you won't have time to dig for it. Keep it by the primary exit you'd actually use, in a spot everyone in the household knows, and treat "grab the bag" as a step in your drill itself so it becomes automatic rather than an afterthought.

Restock it on a schedule, not by memory

A go-bag isn't a one-time purchase. Batteries die quietly, an EpiPen's expiration date passes without anyone noticing, and the attendance printout you tucked in last spring reflects a roster that's half turned over since then. Treat it the same way you'd treat your first aid kit: check it on a set cadence — monthly is a reasonable habit for most providers — swap the attendance sheet whenever your enrollment changes meaningfully, and replace medication and batteries before they expire, not after.

If you're building out your broader emergency response — what to do if a child goes missing during an evacuation, for instance — that's covered in our guide to elopement and missing-child protocols. And if you haven't nailed down the actual drill procedure yet, start with how to run a severe weather or lockdown drill and keep your fire drill log current — your state licensing agency will likely want to see both.

Where DaycareFlow fits

DaycareFlow doesn't manage your physical go-bag — that's a stock-it-yourself kit by your door. But two of the items on this list are things DaycareFlow keeps current for you automatically: your children roster is always up to date as kids enroll and leave, and your calendar-based planned attendance, confirmed with "Mark as happened," gives you a dated record you can print on your way out the door instead of hunting for a notebook. Per-child profiles also hold parent contact info and any noted medical needs in one place, so pulling a fresh emergency contact sheet takes a minute, not an hour of cross-referencing old forms.

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Frequently asked questions

What should be in a home daycare's emergency go-bag?

At minimum: a printed emergency contact roster, a printed copy of the day's attendance log, copies of medical authorization forms, any critical medication like an EpiPen (clearly labeled), a battery or crank flashlight, basic first aid supplies, water and non-perishable snacks, a whistle, and a charged portable phone charger. The goal is to function for an hour or two outside with no power or phone signal.

Is a go-bag the same as a first aid kit?

No. A first aid kit treats everyday scrapes and bumps. A go-bag is built for a full evacuation, when you may be outside with no power, no working phones, and every enrolled child — it needs contact info, medical authorizations, and enough supplies to hold everyone over until things stabilize, not just bandages.

Where should the go-bag be kept?

By the exit you'd actually use in a real evacuation — somewhere visible and immediate, not in a closet or basement. If it takes more than a few seconds to grab, it's stored in the wrong place.

How often should I restock the go-bag?

Check it on a regular schedule, monthly is a reasonable habit, and update it any time your roster changes. Batteries drain, medications expire, and an outdated attendance printout doesn't reflect who's actually in your care — a stale bag can be as unhelpful as no bag at all.

Does my state require a go-bag specifically?

Requirements vary — most states require a written emergency/evacuation plan, and many expect providers to be able to account for every child and reach parents during an evacuation, which is effectively what a go-bag is built to do. Confirm the specific expectations with your state licensing agency, since exact wording differs.