Darke County
Red Cross...
American
Red Cross Tips Help Kids Stay
Safe When Home Alone
Develop and Practice Plan to Ensure
Safety after School
August 29, 2011
Darke County
OH, August 26, 2011 — As
children around the nation are returning to school, many of them will
be
spending time home alone after school until their parents get home from
work.
The American
Red Cross has steps
parents and children can take to make these after-school hours safer
and less
stressful.
“Decide if
your child is mature enough
to be home alone and ask him or her if they would be comfortable being
alone.”
“Parents and guardians should develop a home safety plan and discuss it
and
practice it with their children. After-school child care, programs at
schools
and youth clubs, or youth sports programs are alternatives for children
who are
not mature enough or uncomfortable staying home alone,” added Lynne
Gump.
The Red
Cross recommends that parents
and guardians take the following steps if a child will be home alone
after
school.
If the child
is going to go home after
school, it’s a good idea to have them call to check in when they get
home. For
an older child, set ground rules about whether other kids can come over
when
the parents are absent, whether cooking is an option, whether they can
leave
the home.
Other steps
that parents and guardians
can include in their home safety plans:
•
Post
an emergency phone list where the children can see it. Include 9-1-1,
the
parents work and cell numbers, numbers for neighbors, and the numbers
for
anyone else who is close and trusted.
•
Identify
neighbors whose home your child can go to in case of an emergency that
requires
your child to leave your home.
•
Practice
an emergency plan with the child so they know what to do in case of
fire,
injury, or other emergencies. Write the plan down and make sure the
child knows
where it is.
•
Make
sure the first aid kit is stocked and stored where your children can
find it;
keep it out of reach of young children.
•
Let
children know where the flashlights are kept. Make sure that the
batteries are
fresh, and that the child knows how to use them.
•
Remove
or safely store in locked areas dangerous items like guns, ammunition,
knives,
hand tools, power tools, razor blades, scissors, and other objects that
can
cause injury.
•
Make
sure potential poisons like detergents, polishes, pesticides, car-care
fluids,
lighter fluid and lamp oils are stored in locked cabinets or out of the
reach
of children.
•
Make
sure medicine is kept in a locked storage place or out of the reach of
children.
•
Install
safety covers on all unused electrical outlets.
•
Limit
any cooking a young child can do. Make sure at least one approved smoke
alarm
is installed and operating on each level of the home.
•
Limit
the time the child spends in front of the television or computer.
Activate
parental controls. Use programs that limit the sites children can
visit,
restrict chat sites and allow parents to monitor online activity.
Safety Steps
for Children
When talking
to kids about being at
home alone, parents should stress the following steps, and post them
somewhere
to remind the child about what they should, or shouldn’t, do until mom,
dad or
caregiver get home:
•
Lock
the door and make sure all the windows are closed and locked.
•
If
the home has an electronic security system, children should learn how
to turn
it on and have it on when home alone.
•
Never
open the door to strangers. Always check before opening the door to
anyone,
looking out through a peephole or window first. Only open the door for
people
that parents and guardians have given you permission to let in the
house. If
unsure, contact your caregiver.
•
Never
open the door to delivery people or service representatives. Ask
delivery
people to leave the package at the door or tell them to come back at
another
time. Service representatives, such as a TV cable installer, should
have an
appointment when an adult is home.
•
Never
tell someone on the telephone that the parents are not at home. Say
something
like “He or she is busy right now. Can I take a message?”
•
Do
not talk about being home alone on public websites. Kids should be
cautious
about sharing information about their location when using chat rooms or
posting
on social networks.
•
Never
leave the house without permission. If it’s okay to go outside,
children should
contact their parents and tell them where they are going, when they are
leaving, and when they will return. If mom and dad are still at work,
children
should call them when they leave and when they return home.
•
Do
not go outside to check out an unusual noise. If the noise worries the
child,
they should call their parents, an adult, or the police.
•
Don’t
talk to strangers.
•
Do
not have friends over to visit when your parents aren’t at home. Do not
let
anyone inside who is using drugs or alcohol, even if you know them.
•
If
the child smells smoke or hears a fire or smoke alarm, they should get
outside
and ask a neighbor to call the fire department.
Consider
Babysitter’s Training for
Youth Taking Care of Others
Many tweens
and teens are responsible
for watching younger siblings. The Red Cross Babysitter’s Training
course
provides 11 to 15 year-olds with the knowledge and skills necessary to
safely
and responsibly provide care for children and infants. Participants
learn basic
child care and first aid, develop leadership skills and learn how to
develop a
babysitting business. Visit www.redcross.org/babysitting for more
information. For
more information,
contact the Darke County Red Cross at 937.548.1002, email
darkecounty@darkecounty.redcross.org or visit Facebook and join the
Darke
County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
About the
American Red Cross:
The American
Red Cross shelters, feeds
and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly
half of
the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international
humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The
Red
Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and
depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its
mission.
For more information, please contact your Darke County American Red
Cross at
937.548.1002 or darkecounty.redcross.org
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