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School-aged children are being left home alone or with
siblings after school almost every day. A 1987 Harris poll
reports that 29% of parents leave their children home regularly,
disputing findings of the Census Bureau which placed the figure
at 7%. Experts question the 7% figure, believing that parents may
have been uncomfortable telling government census takers that
they leave their children home alone.
Locally-gathered data exceed the Harris poll. More than 50% of
school-aged children in some Twin Cities communities are home
alone or with siblings after school, according to a 1986 study by
the Center for Youth Development and Research (CYDR) at the
University of MN.
These figures are bound to increase. According to the Census
Bureau, 70% of school-aged children now have working mothers, and
that number is rising.
Why is This a Problem?
Children left home alone may do worse academically. According
to the 1987 Harris poll, 51% of teachers said that being left
home alone is the most critical factor undermining children's
school performance. In another report, elementary school
principals said that children would do better in school if they
were not left unsupervised so much of the time.
Children left home alone are more prone to accidents.
Researchers have found that unsupervised children are more likely
to be victims of accidents, the leading cause of death among
children. In one retrospective study, more than 50% of former
latchkey children recall having to deal with a serious emergency
while they were home alone.
Children left home alone may be given too much responsibility
too soon. Parents and children polled in the CYDR study
overwhelmingly reported that 9-year-olds could be left home alone
for 2 hours, and 10-year-olds for more than 2 hours. But child
psychologists have said that being given too much responsibility
too soon may produce undue stress for a child.
Parents are worried about leaving their children home alone.
Eighty percent of parents in the CYDR study were concerned about
injuries to their children while home alone. Forty percent of
parents also worried about their children being kidnapped, being
sexually abused, getting involved with the wrong kinds of friends
and watching too much TV.
Children are worried about being left home alone. Younger
school-aged children worry about intruders breaking in and
robbing or hurting them, according to the CYDR study. Older
students worry about being bored, wasting time and not finishing
chores and homework. Up to 55% of children in minority,
single-parent families worried about their own physical safety,
such as being kidnapped, injured, beat up, and abused.
Children left home alone may do worse socially. Because of
concern for their children's safety, some parents lay down strict
rules for children left home alone like not being permitted to
play outside or have friends visit. This limits the child's
opportunities to socialize with peers, an important developmental
need.
What Can Be Done?
Clearly there is a need for quality school-age child care
(SACC) programs. While few programs are up and running, there is
much to be learned from communities who have invested
successfully in such programs.
Successful programs combine three essential ingredients:
- broad-based community support
- supportive state and municipal policies and
regulations
- content designed to meet the developmental needs
of school-age children.
Community Support
Communities can provide support for SACC programs in a variety
of ways. Of course, schools, and other government agencies can
provide direct funding supplemented by parent fees and local
business contributions. A government agency or business might
provide start-up costs for a SACC program, until it becomes
self-supporting.
But community support can also mean donations of materials,
sites, transportation and skilled volunteers. Fourteen SACC
programs in Houston, TX each have a corporate sponsor who
provides skilled volunteers, technical support and special
programs.
Community, public and private agencies may also split
responsibility for running a SACC program over the course of the
year. For example, The Adventure Club in Robbinsdale, MN is run
by the schools during the academic year and by the YMCA during
school holidays and summer vacation.
Innovative Program: Schools and YMCA
Cooperate
In Robbinsdale, MN, a cooperative arrangement between the YMCA
and the schools makes The Adventure Club possible. The SACC
program is administered by the school district, which houses the
club during the academic year. The Y takes over during the school
holidays and summer vacation. Ninety percent of Adventure Club's
support comes from parent fees; the remaining 10% comes from
various state, county and city sources. Some of the cities in the
district set aside money to subsidize low-income families, and a
sliding fee scale is available to families who need it.
Innovative Program: DHS Finds Corporate
Help
In Oakland, NJ, a group of parents were concerned with the
lack of school-aged day care. They asked the Bergen County Office
for Children (Department of Human Services) to help them find
resources in the corporate community. As a result, Russ Berrie
& Co., a major toy manufacturer sent out a letter, signed by
its executive vice president, to over 20 area companies asking
them to help establish a school-aged child care program. The
response was enthusiastic. In September 1988, the Center for
Sharing and Caring, a non profit corporation, began operating it
programs in two public schools. The United Way provides some of
the funding. The programs serve 611 year-old children, with a
staff/child ratio of 1 to 10. The cost is $3 per hour.
Policies and Regulations
SACC programs can come up against a lot of red tape.
Principals may worry about liability issues when schools are used
for SACC programs. Zoning regulations may prohibit SACC programs
in churches or community centers located in residential areas.
The successful SACC programs have received quick and effective
legislative help. In Fort Worth, TX, local legislators changed
local zoning laws to allow the operation of a SACC program in a
church located in a residential area.
In Oakland, NJ, the Department of Human Services helped a
group of parents track down corporate funders. Other SACC
programs were launched as pilot programs with start-up funds
provided by the state and local municipalities.
Program content
Successful SACC programs cater to the needs of children of
different ages. As children get older, they can accept more
responsibility and challenges, and they have a wider range of
interests.
SACC programs often include a varied format with time for free
play, planned activities, field trips and help with homework, if
children need it. An SACC program in Shreveport, LA, has
recruited members of the local opera and symphony to perform and
teach. In Onondaga County, NY, children in SACC programs are
treated to live theater by a local acting troupe who performs
plays designed specifically for school-age children, made
possible by a grant from the state humanities council.
Some programs allow older children to get some work
experience. Several programs train older children to work with
younger children.
Innovative Program: Foundations plus
the Arts
In Shreveport, LA, a survey of 19 elementary schools found
that 55% of children were unsupervised after school. This led to
the Youth Enrichment Program, initially funded with start-up
money from the Gannett Foundation and the Community Foundation of
Shreveport/Boisier. The YEP involves the private sector in
innovative ways. The local opera, symphony and ballet each offer
cultural activities for the programs. Individual artists perform
and teach at each site for two hours a week under the auspices of
the Regional Arts Council. Local sports stars, writers and
members of the business community also volunteer their time to
the program. The programs work especially well for middle-school
children. YEP operates 19 programs, serving 600 children from
grades 1-8 at a cost of $2 per day.
Innovative Program: Teenagers Help!
In Winnebago, IL, the State Board of Education gave a $15,000
grant to a pilot afterschool program run by local vocational high
school child care students. Created in 1984, the program involves
25 students who, under the direction of a guidance counselor and
home economics teacher, care for 30 children ages 6 to 10. Now in
its third year, the program is self-supporting, with a waiting
list. Students work once a week, earn school credit, and are paid
a token salary of $4 per day.
NAEYC's Position
The National Association for the Education of
Young Children's "Position Statement on Developmentally
Appropriate Practice in the Primary Grades" describes the
following as appropriate practice in school age child care:
- staffed by people trained in early childhood
education, child development, and/or recreation.
- program offers a wide variety of choices for
children (including nutritious snacks)
- features private areas, good books, sports,
expeditions, clubs, and many home activities like cooking and woodworking.
Children may do homework for a short period of time if they choose.
Inappropriate practice is described as:
- staffed by unqualified persons with little or no
training in child development or recreation
- operated as an extension of the structured
school day with children expected to do homework or occupy themselves with
paper-and-pencil activities
- the program is considered babysitting and
children are "warehoused" in large groups with few available materials.
FACT FIND Suggests:
The lack of school-age child care is a growing problem which
cannot be solved by one institution or one agency. Meeting the
need with good quality programs will require cost sharing and
creative collaboration among schools, communities, and
businesses.
Good quality school-age child care programs need to recognize
and plan for individual differences among children. While some
children may need tutoring in school work, most children need
recreation, physical movement, and activities that foster
independence and responsibility.
Since no two communities are alike, it would be inappropriate
to recommend one particular model for school age child care
programs. The innovative programs featured in this Fact Sheet
offer some ideas that may be incorporated in planning such
programs in Minnesota.
State funding could provide grants to individual communities
to create school-age child care programs, encouraging local
school districts to collaborate with local child service agencies
to meet the needs of families and children. This process would
assure that the program would reflect the values of that specific
community.
As a leader in the field of child care, Minnesota could
experiment with a variety of programs and be able to demonstrate
that school age child care should be done in several ways if it
is to provide the best programs for all children.
Innovative Program: After School
Partnership
In Houston TX, the mayor commissioned a survey which found
that up to 30% of the city's 100,000 elementary school children
were without after school care. The business community and the
Houston Independent School District formed the After School
Partnership under the auspices of the Houston Committee for
Private Sector Initiatives. The PSI, a coalition of private
industries who encourage active community involvement, raised
over $100,000 from major Texas companies for the SACC program.
And they went a step further. Each of the 14 corporations
sponsors a particular program and contributes technical support,
volunteer work and special programs. The 14 programs are housed
in elementary school sites donated by the school district, which
also provides maintenance costs and a certified teacher at each
site to help with homework. The programs are run by five
non-profit community agencies and each serves about 60 children.
Fees are on a sliding scale up to $3 per day.
Innovative Program: Support From Many
Sources
In Lawndale, CA (Los Angeles County), the United Way launched
a SACC program in March 1987 with lots of community help. A
survey by the city of Lawndale found that 84% of local
school-aged children needed care during out of school hours, and
60% of local residents supported a citysponsored program. The
Stone Soup Child Care Program, which is housed in schools, gets
park sites and transportation for summer field trips from the
city of Lawndale. The Thrifty Corporation, a drugstore chain,
donated two scholarship grants for low income families as well as
toys and games. Volunteers come from the local high school and
senior center. Other civic organizations, like the police and
fire department, donate time and special services. A typical
afterschool schedule includes a half hour of outdoor play, a
15-minute snack break, an hour of quiet games and studying,
followed by an hour and a half of planned activities including
art, music, drama and dance. Stone Soup is open before and after
school, as well as during summer vacation and holidays. It serves
1200 children, with fees ranging from $25 per month for after
school care to $120 per month during the summer.
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1989 issue (3rd of 4 issues)