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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>How Old Are Children Allowed To Stay Home Alone For An Hour Or So After School?
Soccermom 08:21 AM 11-02-2012
I was chatting with DCM this morning after she paid me for the week. She joked and said - I will surely miss chatting with you everyday next at drop offs and picks ups next year but I won't miss giving you 50$ every week.
She laughed and then said See you tonight.
I said - Why, where are you going? (Thinking she may be moving or something since her DD absolutely loves it here and DCM and I go out together once in awhile as we are friends.
She said - Nowhere but next year DD will be old enough to stay home for an hour after school so we won't need a babysitter anymore.
I just said - Oh, I didn't think she was old enough yet. She replied that she had looked into it.
I don't blame her for wanting to save herself the daycare cost if it is legal for DD to be at home but she will only be 11 next year....
I was planning on closing when my oldest DCKS no longer required care but I was thinking they would still need care next year.
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DaisyMamma 08:23 AM 11-02-2012
12 is what I've heard.
But I don't know for sure. And it might only be my state if its true.
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ABCDaycareMN 08:29 AM 11-02-2012
In MN there is no law when a child can stay home alone. It is based on the child. I had a family that had 3 kids. 5, 8, 10. I only had the 5 year old full day every other day and after school every other day. Then the mom couldn't afford me and she just sent him home after school with his siblings and I believe she brought him to work with her the full days. I still have huge issues with this! Partly because she quit without giving me 2 weeks notice as my contract states. She quit replying to text/emails and didn't even pick up her certified mail, it was returned to me! Oh I would love to come back if I got a raise---um no!
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Willow 08:31 AM 11-02-2012
My kids, ages 8 (3rd grade) and 10 (4th grade), are perfectly capable of spending an hour at home alone.

When I was 8 and in 2nd grade I was coming home after school alone for up to 3 hours and it worked out great for me and my family.


If the child is emotionally mature enough and can be trusted, as long as they have means to communicate (phone) and know how to respond in emergencies I see nothing wrong with it.


That said every child is different (there are some 16 year olds I would trust to be left alone for an hour), every home is different (there are plenty of areas I myself wouldn't like to be left alone in!) and every state's laws are different.
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daycare 08:31 AM 11-02-2012
I think that it varies by state.

here is what I found for my state:


Although California state child home alone law does not have an age requirement, the National Safekids campaign states that no child under the age of 12 should be left home alone. Each state has a different law concerning the appropriate age a child is able to be left home alone. Even though a state may view a 12 year old as old enough to be home alone, each parent has to decide if their child is ready to stay home. Many factors may go into this important decision such as the neighborhood, maturity of the child and the length of time to be home alone. For more information on the California law, visit:
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Maddy'sMommy 08:32 AM 11-02-2012
I was babysitting other kids when I was 11, but I do think it should be dependent on the kid, starting at 10 yrs.
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Country Kids 08:36 AM 11-02-2012
This may help:

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchke...age-limits.htm Scroll down to the bottom.


Interesting about Florida-not under the age of 18!

Then one state above them (Georgia) its 8-
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Heidi 08:38 AM 11-02-2012
No law here either. I think it depends on the child, the length of time (an hour would be ok, 2 every day is pushing it to me), and the ground rules.

My son has been staying home for short periods time since he was 9. He is now 12. But, he KNOWS that he cannot, under any circumstances, use the microwave or stove without at least one other person in the house.

We had an aquantiance whose 7 year old put one of those rice-bag-heating-things in the microwave; hit an extra ZERO, and almost burnt the house down. Ruined the microwave. The parents were home, but I thought OMG, how easy would it be for my son to do something like that, walk away, and then totally panic!
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Blackcat31 08:39 AM 11-02-2012
Here is a list by state of the "recommended" ages for kids to be home alone.

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchke...age-limits.htm
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Country Kids 08:40 AM 11-02-2012
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Here is a list by state of the "recommended" ages for kids to be home alone.

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchke...age-limits.htm

We are on the same wave length today when posting it looks like-
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Blackcat31 08:41 AM 11-02-2012
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
We are on the same wave length today when posting it looks like-
Great minds think alike!
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MarinaVanessa 08:42 AM 11-02-2012
I'm in CA and here we don't have a law that says how old a child can be when left alone only a guideline or recommendation (age 12 I think) but I think that it all depends on the child and their maturity level.

My 11yo nephew used to come to me after school because I picked up my own daughter and I watch his little brother. He's a good kid, smart, gets good grades, plays well in 2 sports etc. Overall hes a model citizen. It was obvious that he was bored here and didn't want to come to "baby daycare" (I watch young kids) so they decided that he would walk to my MIL's house 2 blocks away from the school and stay there alone for an hour and a half until my MIL came home from work.

Two weeks ago we found out that he had been stealing my MIL's tea bags and another boy would provide rolling papers (where this kid got these I have no clue but I can guess what someone in his home is doing ) and they were smoking the tea like a joint at my MIL's house but leave before she came home. Now this is a good kid that knows the difference between right and wrong and neither of the other 2 kids are bad kids either.

So, moral of the story ... even we thought my nephew was old enough to be left unsupervised for less than 2 hours a day and 2 months into the school year and now we know better . Guess who's enrolled in afterschool homework club 5 days a week now?

If DCM plans on leaving her DD at home I hope that she would let the neighbors know to watch out for her and to make sure that she doesn't have friends over etc.
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Willow 08:44 AM 11-02-2012
Here are the laws on age limits according to state:

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchke...age-limits.htm


Social workers in the state of MN will tell you a good guideline to follow is one hour for every grade level the child is in.....so up to two hours for second graders, up to three for third graders, up to four for fourth graders etc.

Again, of course this is all dependent on the child's readiness on an individual level, location of the home, if there are older equally mature siblings present, adequate understanding of what to do in the case of emergencies and the ability to execute, how close a parent, relative, neighbor or friend is if a problem should arise etc. etc. etc.
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littlemissmuffet 08:51 AM 11-02-2012
I also think it should depend on the child. I was a very mture and independent child, and I started staying home alone for short periods of time (1-2 hours) at age 8 - I was completely fine, and it actually helped me develop even more positive independence (my single mom worked 2-3 jobs growing up). I happily started doing laundry, started learning how to cook and doing chores at this age as well!

However, I know children that are 14-16 that shouldn't be left alone without some kind of supervision. It really does depend on the kid - as well as the parent who has taught the child the "rules" of being alone.

I think it's great that there are guidelines out there, however.... because some parents have really awful judgement, even when it comes to their own children!
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Meeko 08:52 AM 11-02-2012
Florida is 18!!!! Good grief! That's the silliest thing I've heard in a while. Can walk home from school alone...but not actually BE home alone?
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Soccermom 08:54 AM 11-02-2012
I always thought it was 12 but I do know that my DD who is the same age as DCG would be more than capable of staying home for an hour too.
I wonder if the other DCM is thinking along the same lines. Her DD will also be 11 with a younger sibling who will be 9....hmmm. Maybe I will be closing a year earlier than expected.
Do you think it is rude to bring it up to other DCM? Just out of curiosity, are you thinking you will need care for the children next year kinda thing?
I know it is really early still but time does fly by and I would like to know so I can start saving up and planning if I do decide to close up shop this June.
The thought of only doing DC for another 8 months is kind of exciting!
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Blackcat31 08:56 AM 11-02-2012
Originally Posted by littlemissmuffet:
I also think it should depend on the child. I was a very mture and independent child, and I started staying home alone for short periods of time (1-2 hours) at age 8 - I was completely fine, and it actually helped me develop even more positive independence (my single mom worked 2-3 jobs growing up). I happily started doing laundry, started learning how to cook and doing chores at this age as well!

However, I know children that are 14-16 that shouldn't be left alone without some kind of supervision. It really does depend on the kid - as well as the parent who has taught the child the "rules" of being alone.

I think it's great that there are guidelines out there, however.... because some parents have really awful judgement, even when it comes to their own children!
Heck, I know adults who need regular supervision.
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itlw8 09:12 AM 11-02-2012
Originally Posted by Meeko:
Florida is 18!!!! Good grief! That's the silliest thing I've heard in a while. Can walk home from school alone...but not actually BE home alone?
heck they could drive anywhere , take care of other children, hold a job as long as they do not go home LOL
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DBug 09:15 AM 11-02-2012
Soccermom, I notice you're in PEI -- my dad is from the Island (my maiden name is Gallant) .

I'm in Ontario, and I believe the ages are different across Canada. I found this in "A Newcomer's Guide to Parenting Issues in Canada" :

How old does my child have to be before he/she can be left alone?
Manitoba and Newfoundland explicitly state that children under the age of
12 should not be left alone. This is only a guideline. Even children over the
age of 12 who are left alone in unsafe conditions may be found to be in need
of protection.
Other provincial laws do not explicitly state the age at which children should
not be left alone. However, child protection agencies usually see the age of
10 as the minimum age that a child may be left alone.


It's copyrighted 2002, but I don't remember any big changes being publicized in the last several years (my oldest is 12, so this is of interest to me).

For what it's worth, I had a 9 yo dcg leave my care when she turned 10. She ended up staying home full days all through the summer by herself. She was a mature 10 yo, but a little too mature, if you catch my meaning. If she was my daughter, I would NOT have left her alone for that many hours every day.

Unfortunately, it seems to be up to the parents after the age of 10, and even that isn't written in stone .
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dave4him 09:25 AM 11-02-2012
Maturity goes a long way as well
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e.j. 09:44 AM 11-02-2012
Originally Posted by littlemissmuffet:
However, I know children that are 14-16 that shouldn't be left alone without some kind of supervision.
I think the teen years are when they need the most supervision! My kids are trust worthy and well behaved but I have to admit I was happy to be working out of my home (and able to keep an eye on things) while they were going through their high school years.
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countrymom 10:28 AM 11-02-2012
so I'm on my 3rd kid to learn to stay home by themselves. I started about 9.5yrs old to 10yrs. It really depends on a child. My kids know what to do in an emergency, they have our cell numbers and we as parents don't venture too far. My ds is now staying home and he is 10, he can't make it to an hour because he is so bored and the house is too quiet for him (gee you give the kids a break and they would rather have a full house than an empty one) so he likes to call my cell phone a million times in an hour. I usually do try to leave 2 siblings home.
That said, this is the first year that we are leaving all 4 kids home together, while we go out for at least 2 to 3 hours. They love to call us. But they are good so far (no one has tried to drive away yet) but its hard for us to still do it.
When my odd babysits (she's 14) I don't go anywhere in case she needs me lol!
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Springdaze 10:52 AM 11-02-2012
My dd is 9 and i think she would be fine staying home for an hour or so alone. My worry would be if for some reason I or my husband was delayed getting home and it ended up longer. I wouldnt leave her with my son, who is 6. I can already tell he will have to be older than 9 to be left alone!
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Springdaze 10:56 AM 11-02-2012
oh and my worry would be covering your you know what if you left your lets say 11 year old home alone and something happened, would you be found as neglectful? its better if there is a lawful age.
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momofsix 11:11 AM 11-02-2012
I think it really depends on the child. Our oldest dd was babysitting other kids at 11. One of our middle girls couldn't be home until about 13!
The red cross offers a babysitter class that I think is good preparation for staying home alone with or without actually being a babysitter.
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countrymom 11:13 AM 11-02-2012
I should say that my niece is 17 yrs old and is not allowed to stay home by herself for more than an hour. She has never watched her sister either (her sister is 4) yet she can stay home only if my odd stays with her (my odd is 14 yrs old) so it really does depend on the kid.
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spud912 02:10 PM 11-02-2012
I'm surprised at how late parents wait to leave their children home alone for small amounts of time. I know it was a different era, but I remember being left at home with my 11 year old brother all day when I was 9 and for smaller periods of time prior to that. By age 14, I was watching my mom's newborn twins for several hours alone .

I think it's important to leave explicit instructions (like don't answer the door for anyone, what to do in an emergency, how to contact the parents), but I personally would allow short increments (like an hour or less) starting between the ages of 8 and 10 years old. I think it's more dangerous allowing a child to roam in their neighborhood or at a mall by themselves or with similar-aged children. Not saying that's wrong either, but at least in your house, they are sheltered from the "world." Am I alone on this thought?
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Willow 02:21 PM 11-02-2012
Originally Posted by spud912:
I think it's more dangerous allowing a child roam in their neighborhood or at a mall by themselves or with similar-aged children.

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youretooloud 03:12 PM 11-02-2012
Most kids, i'd say nine or ten. (for a few hours)
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