National Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project

A simple way for EMS and fire‑rescue agencies to check their Pediatric Readiness.

Quick links:
2024 National Results | Assessment (English PDF) | Assessment (Spanish PDF)

Why Pediatric Readiness matters

Children make up only a small portion of 911 calls, but when these calls occur, they need care that is timely, safe, and well-coordinated. The open assessment helps your agency understand how ready you are to care for children and where you can improve.

New:

Published 2024 PPRP assessment results show readiness levels for EMS and fire-rescue agencies nationwide.

The National Pediatric Prehospital Readiness Project: First Comprehensive Assessment of United States Emergency Medical Services Agencies, published in Annals of Emergency Medicine (2026), presents the first national analysis of EMS pediatric readiness.

What the open assessment is

A confidential, voluntary self-assessment you can take anytime and retake as needed.
A tool to identify strengths and gaps in Prehospital Pediatric Readiness.
Information to support training, equipment, and policy improvements.

Explore the links below to access tools and resources to improve your agency’s level of pediatric readiness and to prepare for the assessment.

The following joint policy statement and technical report were both released in 2020:

These documents will help you to better understand the principles that guide prehospital pediatric care and are the basis for PPRP tools and resources.

Two resources, available on a separate site, can help your EMS agencies and fire-rescue services address gaps in pediatric readiness:

Use the two-page The Prehospital Pediatric Readiness EMS Agency Checklist to help you quickly assess gaps in pediatric readiness.
The Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Toolkit includes a number of resources, references, and other guidance that can help you address those gaps.

Let's Get Started >>

How it works

Click “Let's Get Started >>”
Optional: download the assessment to review with your team in advance.
Complete the assessment online (one person should submit per agency).
Your agency’s gap report instantly opens when you finish—save or print it.
The report shows your current and previous scores (overall and item-level) to support quality improvement. Share it with your team.
Retake the open assessment anytime to track progress.

Why agencies use the open assessment

Plan training and skills checks.
Guide review of pediatric equipment readiness.
Improve protocols and policies for children.
Support quality improvement projects and track progress.
Communicate needs to leadership.
Support efforts to be recognized as Pediatric Ready in their region or state.

Helpful prep materials

Download before starting:

English PDF version | Spanish PDF version

Need help?

Questions about the assessment: EMSpedsReadySupport@hsc.utah.edu

For a copy of your agency gap report or to learn about local resources and opportunities to improve readiness, contact your State EMSC Program Manager.

For more resources to support improvement, visit PediatricReadiness.org

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