What Every Michigan Parent Should Know About Leaving Kids Home Alone This Summer
In Michigan, parents face a tricky balance when deciding if their kids are ready to stay home alone. It’s not just about age, but maturity too.
Even if it were 1998 again, when the cost of living was very low, while the U.S. economy was booming, we would still have to go to work and figure out what to do about our kids. With that being said, the cost of living is currently not low, and the U.S. economy is flirting with a recession.
Hard-working Michiganders with families have to wrestle with tough decisions. One thing is for sure: staying home is not an option for most of us. Somewhere between 7 and 20% of families with children in Michigan have one stay-at-home parent who is not in the workforce.
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What Every Michigan Parent Should Know About Leaving Kids Home Alone This Summer.
I was surprised to learn that Michigan has no state law regarding the minimum age at which a child must be if left home alone. However, there are guidelines according to LetGrow.org,
A Michigan Resource Guide for Mandated reporters states that “According to the Child Protection Law, there is no legal age that a child can be left home alone. It is determined on a case-by-case basis, but as a general rule, a child 10 years old and younger is not responsible enough to be left home alone.
The state government will trust parental discretion for the most part. Michigan.gov says that it's all about your child's maturity.
You may want to evaluate your child’s maturity and how he or she has demonstrated responsible behavior in the past.
If leaving your 10 or 11-year-old kid home alone seems crazy to you. Michigan does have a law against leaving children under the age of 13 alone in a vehicle. Maybe 13 years old is a good minimum age to leave your kid home alone this Summer in Michigan.
Some areas of Michigan may have local ordinances with a minimum age.
Michigan.Gov provides resources that you may find helpful, like Child Care Assistance and Information for Child Care Providers.
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