Helping Children Stay Safe While Home Alone

Pictured above are participants in MedStar Health Home Alone Program

Home Alone Program

Residents in the Olney area have gained a valuable resource to help them with one of the toughest decisions working parents may have to make—leaving a child home alone.

MedStar Health offers the Home Alone program to help prepare 8- to 12-year-olds to spend brief periods of time alone. Participants learn helpful tips about answering the door, keeping the house secure, when to call 911, and other skills.

The program was created five years ago to meet the needs of community members, says Community Outreach Coordinator at MedStar Health, Dairy Marroquin.

“Parents were concerned about that period of time after school—before the parents get home from work,” she says, adding that the program is especially helpful for older children who are left in charge of their younger siblings.

The class is for children only, and is held the third Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon. Taught by certified instructors, the class costs $35 and covers topics such as:

• Understanding the responsibilities of being home alone
• Recognizing emergencies and knowing what to do
• Maintaining a safe environment
• Dealing with strangers on the way home, at the door, and on the phone
• Recognizing when first aid is needed and how to act quickly
• Preparing healthy snacks safely

After the course, children receive a Home Alone handbook that they are encouraged to keep on hand whenever they’re home without adult supervision. The handbook summarizes everything discussed in class, plus important information like emergency phone numbers, first aid tips, and easy microwave recipes.

Source: https://dhr.maryland.gov/documents/Child%20Protective%20Services/Brochures/Unattended-Childre-Brochure-2016.pdf

Currently, Home Alone classes are only available at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, but organizers plan to expand the program in the coming year to include other areas of need. Plans include hosting classes at local elementary schools to make the program more accessible for families.

“Through word of mouth, the classes have been very popular,” says Dairy. “Not only are the children leaving the classes more comfortable and confident, their parents are too.”