Supervision Guidelines
Supervision Guidelines
Children 8 or younger should NEVER be left home alone.
Children between the ages of 9 and 12, based on the level of maturity, may be left alone for less than two hours. (NEVER AS BABYSITTERS)
Children 13 and older, based on the level of maturity, may be left alone and may perform the role of babysitter as authorized by a parent/caretaker for up to twelve hours during the day.
Suggested questions to ask when leaving children alone:
--Does the child know the emergency plan for the family?
--Does the child know the parent's phone numbers (work, home, and cell)?
--Can the child demonstrate the plan and recite the numbers?
--What is the availability of the parent during the time?
--Are there environmental factors that further add risk to the situation?
--Are there factors that reduce risk, for example, supportive/available neighbors?