Leaving children home alone? Here's what Pennsylvania law says
School is out and so are the kids for summer break. But who's going to watch them until school starts up again?
While some parents are able to stay home with kids, others book them into summer camps, and some hope the eldest child is old enough to be left alone or old enough to babysit the rest.
That question of leaving kids home unsupervised is usually followed with concern over what does our state law have to say about it.
Leaving children home alone in Pennsylvania?
While some states have laws on leaving children unattended at home, Pennsylvania is one of the majority of states that does not specify any appropriate, legal age to leave a child. Instead, parents are asked to make a very personal and individual decision.
Only 14 out of 50 states have legal age restrictions for children left at home alone, many of which are just guidelines, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a federal service of Children’s Bureau, the Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Illinois (14 years old), Colorado, Connecticut, and Mississippi (12 years old), Kentucky (11 years old), South Dakota, Tennessee, and Washington (10 years old), Georgia (9 years old), Maryland and North Carolina (8 years old), Nebraska and Oklahoma (7 years old), and Kansas (6 years old) have laws requiring a minimum age for leaving a child home alone. The remaining 36 states have no set age, but offer some guidelines at the local level.
It's important to note that although there are no laws to the age kids can be left alone, child protective services can and will become involved if anyone reports that a child was abused, neglected or put at risk of harm while the parent or guardian was gone.
Sending kids to a friend's house is often a simple approach, but there are more structured options, such as day camps at local clubs or YMCAs. Summer camps can vary in hours and interests and offer things like museum classes, sports and other managed activities for parents in this common situation.
How do you know what age you can leave your kid home alone?
While there is no magic age that works for every child, the nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide recommends starting to leave kids home alone between the ages of 12 and 13. But it is very dependent on their level of maturity.
“Parents should look for signs of responsibility when their children are with them before leaving them home alone. Are they able to follow directions without being told repeatedly? Do they only follow directions if you are there watching? If they only follow the rules when you’re watching, it’s unlikely that they will follow them when they are home alone,” Rolanda Mitchell, an education counselor at North Carolina State University, told USA Today in 2019. “School behavior can also be a good indicator because school is where children spend the most of their time without their parents watching. If they’re misbehaving or violating rules, they may do the same when they’re home alone.”
Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist reporting on trending issues across the Mid-Atlantic region.
This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Are you allowed to leave kids home alone in Pennsylvania?
