How old does my child have to be to stay home alone? Georgia and Other States

As a mom of a new 11 year old daughter and a toddler son, I was curious about the actual law about leaving children her age home alone. Growing up the rules were much different and my common assumption was that the child had to be 12.

I also wanted to look into this because my tween daughter is sleeping in (today I got her out of bed at 11:20am) and my son has a mother's morning out two days a week.  I started researching this over the weekend because one of his days is Monday and I wanted to know if I could let her stay in bed while I did the 12 minute round-trip to his MMO program down the street.

(On a side note, she was fine. I went in and told her I was taking him to school and would be back very soon.  She already knew the rules but I went over them briefly again.  It was funny when I got back and told her she was like "you're back already"?  I don't think I gave her enough time to feel like a big girl. Hahaha.)

The final reason I researched this is because I started thinking that 12 year olds often babysit...shouldn't there be some transition period between having to be home with someone and being responsible, alone, for someone else? 

What I learned actually surprised me and as Summer is now officially here, I thought some other parents might benefit from this information to keep their children safe.  I'll be sharing a resource link for other states as well as home security to help you keep your kids safe this summer and all year long.

Word of caution: You know your child better than anyone else and regardless of whether they meet age requirements, they should also meet responsibility and maturity levels needed to be home alone.

So this information is specifically from Georgia, where I live, but I am going to at least try to find the links for other states and post them in a separate blog posting. This information was obtained from the Georgia Department of Human Services and the link is at: http://dhs.georgia.gov/take-precautions-when-leaving-children-home-alone Take precautions when leaving children home alone

July 2, 2007 (ATLANTA) School is out and the children are in. Now that summer is here, there will be more opportunities for children to be left home alone and more worry for parents who wonder if they should leave them without adult supervision. The Georgia Department of Human Resources urges caution and vigilance when leaving children home alone.

Like most states, Georgia does not have regulations or laws to determine when a child is considered old enough to care for her/himself or to care for other children. However, there are state guidelines administered through the Division of Family and Children Services to evaluate situations and determine if a child neglect investigation is warranted. DFCS encourages parents to use sound judgment and assess the maturity and responsibility of their children before deciding whether to leave them home alone.

"Leaving a child at home alone should never be an easy decision for a parent," said Mary Dean Harvey, director of the Division of Family and Children Services. "Many cases of neglect can be avoided if parents carefully weigh their options before leaving children unsupervised. A healthy and safe environment for the child should be at the forefront of any parent’s mind," she said.

Georgia’s Guidelines for leaving a child without adult supervision:

• Children under 8 years old should never be left alone, even for short periods of time. 
• Children between the ages of 9 and 12, based on level of maturity, can be left home alone for brief periods of time. 
• Children 13 and older can generally be left as babysitters, with the exception of children in foster care. It is not recommended, however, that 13 year olds baby sit infants, small children and children that require special attention due to medical conditions. 
• Children 15 and older can be left home alone overnight, depending on the level of maturity of the child. 

Other safety precautions to consider when leaving a child unaccompanied: Don’t leave the child responsible for food preparation that involves the stove; have a neighbor or relative check in regularly or have the child check in with an adult; make a safety plan that includes 911, and rehearse it with your child.

For information contact: Beverly Jones, 404-657-1387 bjjones2@dhr.state.ga.us For Rules By State,

Please check back for additional information and information for other states.