When a child can stay home alone?

By DAVID NOVICH
DNOVICH@lohud.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS

Assessing the issue At what age is it OK to leave children home alone? There are no straightforward answers to these questions. All children develop at their own rate and with their own special needs and abilities. Some children are responsible, intelligent and independent enough to be left alone at 12 or 13 years of age. Likewise, there are some teenagers who are too irresponsible or who have special needs that limit their ability to be safe if they are left alone. Parents and guardians need to make intelligent, reasoned decisions regarding these matters. Here are some issues to consider: • Consider the child: How mature is the child? How comfortable is the child with the circumstances? What has the child done in the past to show you he/she is able to take on this kind of responsibility? • Consider the child's knowledge and ability: Does the child know how and when to contact emergency help? Is the child able to prepare food for him/herself? Are there hazards to the child in the environment, such as accessible knives, power tools, a stove or oven? • Consider the circumstances: Where will the child be when left alone? How long is the child to be alone? Source: New York State Office of Children and Family Services Child endangerment: The law in New York Endangering the welfare of a child is a misdemeanor in New York state that can be charged to parents or guardians of children under 18. But there is no specific age or circumstance when the charge must be brought. Police must use their judgment to decide when to bring the charge. Here is what the law says A person is guilty of endangering the welfare of a child when 1. He knowingly acts in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than 17 years old or directs or authorizes such child to engage in an occupation involving a substantial risk of danger to his life or health; 2. Being a parent, guardian or other person legally charged with the care or custody of a child less than 18 years old, he fails or refuses to exercise reasonable diligence in the control of such child to prevent him from becoming an "abused child," a "neglected child," a "juvenile delinquent" or "a person in need of supervision."

(Original publication: April 9, 2006)

RYE

David Murcko lives only a couple of blocks away from the Osborn School in Rye, but he never lets his 9-year-old daughter, Maddie, walk home alone.

He also never lets her play outside by herself.

With news reports about child abductions, and with easy access from his community to major highways, he has decided to keep a close eye on his only child.

"I'm just so cautious of all these terrible things that you hear," Murcko said. "It's really sad, but I think times have changed so much."

Like many parents across the Lower Hudson Valley, Murcko has been forced to face the tough question: When is my child old enough to be alone?

Experts say there is no easy answer — it depends on the child's maturity and the time and place they will be left alone.

The issue has come to the attention of Lower Hudson Valley residents in recent years as parents and caregivers have faced criminal charges for leaving children unsupervised.

• A couple was arrested last weekend after Yonkers police responded to an activated burglar alarm and found two boys, ages 2 and 4, alone in the house. The couple were charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

• In December 2004, a 27-year-old nanny was arrested by Eastchester police for leaving a 16-month-old girl in her care home alone while she went Christmas shopping. The nanny pleaded guilty last year to a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Only Maryland and Illinois have laws that say when a child is considered old enough to be alone. In every other state, it's up to parents to determine when they feel their kids can handle the responsibility.

In New York, the state Office of Children and Family Services tells parents to consider a number of factors before leaving them on their own at home — including the maturity of the children and if they know how and when to contact emergency help.

Police also have to use their judgment when they decide to bring the charge of endangering the welfare of a child. The law applies to any parents with children under 18 who put them in harm's way.

"The law is a bit dubious," said Greenburgh Police Chief John Kapica. "The law doesn't say if you leave a kid alone that's 10 years old, you're going to get in trouble. But obviously, if you left a juvenile at home, a very young child, you're going to get in trouble. And some kids are more mature than other kids."

Sometimes, parents from other countries are more comfortable leaving their kids alone. A Danish mother made headlines in 1997 when she left her baby in a stroller outside a New York restaurant while she and the child's father drank margaritas inside. Charges against them for endangering the child were dropped, but the case drew attention to cultural differences between New York and Denmark, where it is common for parents to watch a baby outside while sitting inside a cafe.

The bottom line, experts say, is that parents are scared — sometimes with little basis in reality.

Over the past two decades, violent crime has declined, said Alvin Rosenfeld, a psychiatrist and co-author of the book "The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap."

Most people don't hurt children, and often kids are kidnapped by spouses in custody disputes, he said. When children are hurt, though, it becomes a national story, he said.

Parents need to balance caring for their children and giving them independence, he said.

"You need to keep the attachment to provide the safety," Rosenfeld said. "But you also need to slowly, as they're ready to accept it, provide the individuality."

No matter what the experts say, most children are not left alone. A 2003 study by Child Trends, a nonprofit research organization in Washington, D.C., found that only 15 percent of children ages six to 12 spend any time without adult supervision.

Most parents in the Lower Hudson Valley are comfortable staying on the watchful side.

Doreen English, a teacher who lives in New Hempstead, isn't ready to let her two sons, ages 8 and 11, stay home alone. She sends them to the Rockland After School program.

"You hear about kids going to the bus stop and people just driving by and trying to pick them up," English said. "You have to be on your guard at all times."

Copyright 2006 The Journal News, a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper serving Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties in New York. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, updated June 7, 2005.

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