It’s a simple question with no easy answer: How young is too young to leave a child home alone?
Obviously, age 2 is way, way too young. Obviously, the sad circumstance of a Camano Island man leaving a 2-year-old in a locked room is extreme. Last week’s news made me wonder about choices parents make that aren’t so obvious.
The 2-year-old and his 11-year-old brother were placed in foster care after a neighbor found the toddler alone. According to news reports, the father said he left the boys alone because he couldn’t afford child care.
What’s the rule? Two is terrible, but is 11 all right?
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"There actually is no statutory minimum in Washington state as far as leaving a child alone," said Todd Henry, regional administrator of the state Department of Social and Health Services’ Division of Children and Family Services. Henry said the Snohomish County Children’s Commission several years ago took a stance against children under age 10 being left alone.
"There are different levels of maturity in kids. If people have doubts, they shouldn’t do it," said Jan Jorgensen, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. "Personally, I would feel uncomfortable leaving a 9- or 10-year-old. I know a lot of 13- and 14-year-olds baby-sit and get along fine. But there are 16-year-olds who shouldn’t be left alone.
"If parents are going to leave them alone," Jorgensen added, "teach them about not giving out information on the phone, not answering the door to anyone, and how and when to call 911."
Everett police spokesman Sgt. Boyd Bryant said parents should ask themselves some questions.
"First, do you trust the child?" he said. "Is your child resourceful during an emergency? Can you rely on your child to follow rules established for their safety?
"Does your child know their address, phone number, and your phone number and how to contact you?" Bryant asked. "And if you do trust them, do you have a neighbor or friend close by who could respond in a matter of minutes?"
With so much to worry about, it may seem astounding that any parent leaves any child alone. That’s until you consider the expense and the availability of child care.
Lorrie Milford is director of Child Care Resource and Referral for the Volunteers of America. With the Camano case in mind, she asked a referral agency for the Stanwood area and Island County to inquire about child-care slots.
"The total number of infant vacancies on Camano Island is two. That’s not a lot," Milford said. "In Stanwood, there are two infant vacancies in centers and none in eight licensed homes."
Cost for infant care on Camano Island ranges from $607 to $758 a month; toddler care runs $500 to $750 a month, Milford said.
"It’s extremely expensive," she said. Low-income people qualify for DSHS subsidies, but because child-care providers make less money with such clients, some are reluctant to take many low-income children.
"This dad was, I’m sure, in terrible circumstances," Milford said. "However, it was horrible for the child. Can you imagine being locked in a room at 2?"
Sherry Mapel is the neighbor who discovered the 2-year-old alone, took him home and called 911.
"I could not even fathom it, my grandson just turned 2 last Saturday," she said. Her 12-year-old son, Bryan, rides his bike home from school, lets their pets out, and "calls me immediately every day, like clockwork," Mapel said. "We have set rules. Still, I worry too. It’s a fine line, what’s right and what’s wrong."
At the Boys &Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, it’s not unusual to see 7-year-olds wander in after school and stay through the evening, said Elizabeth Bollinger, the organization’s director of development.
"If kids are in elementary school, that’s too young to be alone. But it happens a lot," Bollinger said.
There are drop-in programs at 10 clubs, from Arlington to Edmonds, serving 12,000 children. "Kids from 6 to 18 can come after school and have fun, safe activities, sometimes as simple as an adult playing checkers with a kid," she said.
"Some kids come immediately after school. They do homework, eat dinner and walk home at 8 o’clock at night. We close at 9 o’clock, and there are still kids. They don’t want to go home," Bollinger said.
"They just crave having an adult around."
Contact Julie Muhlstein via e-mail at muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com, write to her at The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, or call 425-339-3460.
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