Presents
LATCH KEY KIDS
AT HOME ALONE

How do you know if your child is old enough to be home alone?

    Your twelve-year-old comes home from school at 3:00; but you don't
 get home until 5:00.  The child is home for those two hours every day.
 What do they do until you arrive?  Most likely, they get a snack or talk
 on the phone, or maybe watch TV.  But since you're not there, you worry.
 Like the majority of American parents who work and have their children on
 their own after school every day, you are anxious about your child's
 safety.

  By  following a few safeguards you can ease some of this worry and take
 measures that will protect your child even when you cannot be there.

• Be trusted to go straight home after school?
• Easily use the telephone, locks, and kitchen appliances?
• Follow rules and instructions well?
• Handle unexpected situations without panicking?
• Stay alone without being afraid?

Some children enjoy caring for themselves and happily accept the added responsibilities. Others occasionally are lonely, bored, or scared. Statistics suggest that children at home alone are at a greater risk of being involved in accidents, of being harmed by strangers, siblings, or friends, and of committing minor delinquent acts.

Experts strongly suggest not leaving children under ten at home alone for any extended amount of time.

• How to use 9-1-1
• How to give directions to your home, in case of an emergency.
• To never let anyone into your home without asking permission.
• To never let a caller at the door or on the phone know they are alone. Teach them to say "Mom cannot come to the phone/door right now."
• To carry a house key with them in a safe place (inside a shirt pocket or sock). Do not leave it under a mat or on a ledge outside the house.
• To never accept gifts or rides from people they do not know well.
• How to escape in case of fire.
• To not go into an empty house or apartment if things do not look right--a broken window, ripped screen, or an open door
• To let you know about anything that frightens them or makes them feel uncomfortable.

• Keep a list of numbers near the phone for your office, a neighbor, a relative.
• Set-up and agree on rules for having friends over, phone usage, or if it is acceptable to leave the house.
• Work out an escape plan in case of fire.
• Discuss what you would like your children to do at home until you return (It is okay to give them chores.)
• Have a plan if the child forgets their key

COMMUNITY POLICING

It brings police and citizens together to prevent crime - and solve neighborhood problems. In Community Policing the emphasis is on stopping crime before it happens.

TEAMWORK - The police are more effective when they can depend on residents for help.

COMMITMENT - By both the community and police ultimately changes the quality of life by helping to solve community problems.

What can the citizen do?

• Join a Community Watch group.
• Get your homeowners association involved.
• Attend and encourage others to attend meetings that involve the community (meetings can be a great opportunity to air concerns and agree on solutions.)
• Get to know your local police (community policing is based on the idea that the police and community members are on the same side.)

What are the Police Doing?

• Getting out of the car and talking and listening more (you cannot just wave and expect better communications).
• Working with the schools and day care centers (letting the children know police officers are their friends and not someone to be afraid of.)
• Providing and getting involved with community activities, such as drug awareness programs, Halloween safety, bicycle safety, and Community Watch programs.
• Sponsoring Youth programs, such as the Explorers, and "Spend a Week with a Cop."