About Home Alone Boot Camp

Welcome to the Home Alone Boot Camp program offered by CPR Training School. This program will help you be prepared to stay at home while your parents are away from home for short periods of time before or after school, evenings or on weekends.

It is an exciting time when you transition from needing an adult with you at all times to being given the responsibility to take care of yourself while at home.

There is no rule about when a child is allowed to stay home alone, but because each child is different and has different needs, it is important to talk to your kids about staying home alone well in advance of actually implementing this change. Many children start staying home alone between ages 9 and 11. Give kids time to adjust to the idea that they will be responsible for themselves for short periods of time. The Home Alone Boot Camp program offered by CPR Training School is designed to identify all of the aspects of staying home alone that you and your child would need to consider. It can be used as a jumping off point for discussions at home.

If you feel that your child is not ready for this responsibility, do practice runs by leaving the child home for 15 or 20 minutes at a time while you run an errand. Your child may feel more secure knowing you are going to be back quickly and they are not alone for a long time. If you can arrange it, come home early from work for a few days, staying away longer each day. After a few days, your child may feel more comfortable staying at home for the full extent of your workday.

This course will help them prepare for being home alone in a number of ways. You can use this workbook as a guide to review the lessons and agree upon protocols for staying home alone. Before allowing children to stay at home on their own, be sure to provide them with the following information (all of this is covered in the course, but should be confirmed at home together).