The Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) program is a classroom-based emergency preparedness curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students.
Since launching over a decade ago, more than 100,000 Wisconsin children have participated in the STEP program. While it designed with school classrooms in mind, STEP is open to any organization that offers youth education programs to 9-11 year-old children.
STEP is designed to teach students how to prepare for various emergencies and encourages them to share the information with their families to develop their own family emergency plan. Along with the knowledge learned in the classroom, each student is provided with free starter materials to help them create their own emergency kit.
The curriculum was designed by educators working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program is offered by the state at no cost to schools and other educational groups.
Registration
STEP registration for the 2025-26 school year is now open. The deadline to register for STEP kit materials is December 19, 2025, or until kit supplies run out. The kit consists of a drawstring backpack and a keychain flashlight. Materials for the program will ship out in early 2026. STEP Program curriculum will remain available online and are free to download regardless of STEP kit availability. Many educators teach the STEP Curriculum during the spring months, particularly during Wisconsin’s Severe Weather Awareness Week in April. If you have any questions about STEP, contact dmawempio@widma.gov
CURRICULUM
The STEP program is a modular emergency preparedness curriculum with activities that can be used in many different settings, inside and outside of school. The main course can be taught in as little as 30 minutes. Educators can also incorporate supplemental lessons on specific focus areas, including severe weather, floods, and fires.
A series of YouTube videos for kids, called Disaster Dodgers, helps introduce each concept, and an activity book offers 18 activities to reinforce ideas and jumpstart creativity.
Disaster Dodgers Videos
This series of five videos introduces emergency preparedness and management to students. Two videos highlight core lessons, and three other videos highlight concepts in the additional curriculum.