Many children return from school and are home alone. Arm them with the knowledge on how to be safe and secure.
The child must:
-Carry his or her house key in a secure hidden place. Leave an extra key with a neighbour or trusted friend and tell your child where it will be if it’s needed.
-Not to enter the home if a window or screen is broken, a door is open, or a strange vehicle is parked in the driveway. Go to a neighbour or friend’s’s home and alert parents.
-Turn off the burglar alarm.
-Lock the door immediately after entering.
-Check in with you after arriving home to let you know that he or she has arrived safely.
-Know how to answer the door and when not to answer it. Never open the door to a stranger or let an uninvited neighbour or acquaintance into the home.
-How to use caller ID. How to respond if someone calls on the phone.
-Not to tell a caller that you are not at home. Have your child say you cannot come to the phone, ask the caller to leave a message, and say you will call back.
-If your child cannot take a message tell him or her not to answer the phone.
-To keep all doors and windows locked and how to unlock them in an emergency.
-Which appliances can be used and how to use them. Leave written instructions.
-Who to call, what to say, and where to go in an emergency, and what constitutes an emergency, for example: a fire, gas leak, smoke, etc.
– Know what to do if he/she smells smoke or gas.
– Know what to do during an electrical storm and a power outage.
-Follow a schedule you set for homework, chores, TV watching, computer use, etc.
-When to invite a friend or friends over.
