What ages serve as milestones for staying home alone, babysitting and taking public transit?
Staying home alone
It depends on the child’s maturity and experience and parental discretion. “The parents know the child best,” says Rob Thompson, communications director, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.
The Child and Family Services Act does not specifically state an age when a youngster can be left alone. It does say that if a child younger than 10 years old is left unsupervised, the onus of establishing that reasonable provisions for supervision and care were made rests with the parent or guardian.
Generally, a mature youngster at age 10 or 11 may be capable of being home alone occasionally for short periods, perhaps an hour or two, according to Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo. They should not be expected to care for younger siblings.
St. John Ambulance offers a Home Alone program that covers the safety basics for children ages 10 and up. Visit sja.ca.
Generally youngsters start babysitting at age 12, says Shannon Scully-Pratt, a first aid and water safety expert with the Canadian Red Cross. A 12-year-old, however, should not be taking care of more than two kids or be responsible for cooking food or bathing children, she says.
The Red Cross offers a babysitting course that teaches participants about the needs of different age groups, problem-solving, injury prevention, basic first aid. Visit redcross.ca. At age 11 children can enrol in preparation for babysitting.
Taking public transit alone
That’s up to the parent and child, says TTC spokesperson Jessica Martin. She advises that children be instructed to approach only uniformed TTC officers, such as the booth collector, if they have any questions. She also suggests the child and parent visit the trip planner at ttc.ca. The child should carry the printed-out directions or have them on a cellphone.