Age isn’t everything when deciding if a child is ready to be home alone

School is back in session bringing new routines and new milestones for students For a few this is the year they are allowed to go home to an empty house instead of an after-school activity or day care It s a decision faced by numerous parents whose work or other obligations keep them from coming home until long past school release time With after-school care often expensive and hard to find parents have reason to encourage independence But how can they be sure their child is ready to address home on their own even if only for an hour or two A handful of states have set age minimums Maryland law for example makes it a crime to leave a child younger than years old unattended But most of states leave it up to parents and guardians Experts say between and years old can be a good starting point but stress there s more to the equation than age And they say what s right for one child may not be for another even within a family It s not a one-size-fits-all ordeal And you really have to take it and understand the bigger picture declared Jaesha Quarrels director of child care services at Oklahoma Human Services Inadequate supervision is a key factor in numerous preventable childhood injuries and neglect cases Here s what experts say to consider when deciding whether a child is ready to be home alone Consider maturity and skills in addition to age The American Academy of Pediatrics says the majority children are not ready to handle emergencies until about age or so the organization generally recommends structured supervision until then But it s not that simple Parents often want a specific answer on how old their kids have to be but age is only one of the factors to consider commented Brian Tessmer director of recovery and operations at Family Information a nonprofit agency in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania We really strongly encourage parents to look at a multitude of other factors because kids obviously mature at different rates At minimum children should be able to recite their full name home address phone number and the name of a parent guardian or other urgency contact They should also know how to reach that person experts advise Other things to consider are whether a child can follow rules handle routines and keep themselves occupied with homework toys or electronic devices Can they dial the phone Fix themselves a snack Do they know where the bandages are if they need one What if there s a tornado warning if they smell something burning or if a carbon monoxide detector goes off Do they know how and when to dial They can do it Do they want to Even having all that knowledge doesn t mean a child is ready to get off the school bus at an unoccupied house experts announced At a time of high anxiety for American children there is also emotional readiness to consider Oftentimes as parents because it s convenient we re busy we have things that we have to do we just kind of leave them alone Quarrels disclosed But we need to consider how the child feels Are they confident Can they handle loneliness fear or boredom Communication is key Tessmer mentioned It s a great opportunity to explain to the child that this is a milestone that we re coming up to as a family and we re exploring this opportunity because we do feel like you are getting to a point where you re ready for this type of trust We have confidence in you he reported A child home alone should have no doubts about what they re allowed to do and even more importantly not allowed to do experts noted Stoves and ovens should be off limits as well as matches candles and lighters Children should be instructed to stay inside not open the door to anyone unless they ve been stated in advance and to never reveal that they re alone on social media gaming apps or to callers Make sure your house rules are visible and reviewed frequently commented Quarrels who recommended having prepackaged snacks or meals handy Practice start slowly and take advantage of mechanism To further reduce anxiety Quarrels recommends role-playing scenarios like handling a doorbell and dialing And start small she revealed Parents can test the waters by leaving a child inside while they re in the backyard or taking a walk around the block she reported Smartphones and the availability of home protection systems that enable real-time monitoring and communication can also put children and parents at ease Inevitably check in on a regular basis with your child if you re going to be gone longer than to minutes Tessmer mentioned Fortunately in this age with cellphones and tablets it can be pretty easy You can have your kids text you can schedule a quick call Facetime send photos to each other to ease any anxieties The Associated Press teaching coverage receives financial aid from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org Source