About ICP
The Institute for Childhood Preparedness empowers early childhood professionals with the tools, training, resources, and skills they need to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.
Our mission
ICP was built around a simple idea: preparedness training for early childhood programs should be practical, age-aware, and delivered by people who understand both emergency response and the daily realities of caring for young children.
Our multidisciplinary team includes award-winning first responders and early childhood education specialists with decades of real-world experience. We translate that experience into calm, usable training for the people caring for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, families, and staff.
What informs the work
ICP's training draws from emergency response, public health, environmental health, law, education, security, curriculum development, and community engagement.
Founder and CEO
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Childhood Preparedness.
Andy has worked full time on emergency preparedness, response, and recovery issues impacting the early childhood sector since 2015, including child care, family child care, afterschool care, Head Start, and Early Head Start programs.
His background spans emergency response, public health, law, environmental health, and federal policy. He previously served in senior preparedness roles with Child Care Aware of America, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Andy began his preparedness career as a firefighter and paramedic, is certified in hazardous materials operations, served as a Health Policy Fellow for the US Senate Budget and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees, and holds a certificate in early childhood leadership from Harvard.
Accredited training
ICP is an IACET Accredited Provider, a recognition that reflects a commitment to high-quality continuing education and training processes. For organizations responsible for staff development, that matters.
Meet our team
ICP's team brings together emergency preparedness, law enforcement, public health, environmental health, medicine, criminology, operations, and early childhood experience.
Ronald brings more than 20 years of distinguished law enforcement service, including experience as a patrol officer, tactical unit supervisor, watch commander, detective, and community outreach officer. He has supported emergency preparedness work with Child Care Aware of America and has extensive experience in community education, investigations, fraud prevention, and private security.
B.J. is a retired United States Marine Corps Colonel with more than 30 years of leadership experience in military operations, organizational management, and strategic program development. His career includes combat service in Iraq and two deployments to Afghanistan, command of the School of Infantry–East, and service as Chief of Staff of the Second Marine Division. Following his military career, he led Marine and Family Programs at Camp Lejeune, directing a workforce of more than 1,000 employees providing childcare, behavioral health, family readiness, and deployment support services. He spearheaded the Marine Corps' first active shooter preparedness program for childcare facilities, later adopted service-wide. B.J. now brings that experience to ICP, helping childcare programs build a readiness posture that enhances safety and preparedness.
David serves as an environmental health officer with two decades of experience protecting communities from illness and disease. His work includes inspecting food establishments, child care facilities, public pools, and other settings for compliance with public health rules and regulations.
Dr. Kagey has worked in public health for more than 40 years and in emergency preparedness and response for 15 years. Her work has focused on planning and preparing for and with vulnerable populations, including service with the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Zakary is a pediatrics resident at the University of Florida with experience across pediatric organizations serving patients from neonates to teenagers. His work with ICP is shaped by a commitment to advocacy for children and families affected by emergencies, disasters, and public health disruptions.
Dr. Samuel is a criminologist with expertise in police-community relations, risk management, community engagement, interpersonal violence, and early identification and intervention systems. Her background includes more than a decade with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC.
Demi has been part of ICP since 2018, supporting preparedness trainings, public health writing, and research. Her background in medicine and public health includes preparedness work with Head Start programs and local public health partners in Puerto Rico.
Work with ICP
