Home Alone Safety for Kids Canada

Is your child ready to stay home alone?

Help your child prepare for independence with the Online Home Alone Safety course. Practical and convenient, this self-guided and self-paced tutorial helps to build a child’s confidence through engaging games, rich digital media, videos and colourful graphics that equip youth with skills for a lifetime of safety. It provides valuable life skills for your child and peace of mind for parents and caregivers.

Home Alone Online is for 9-13 year olds

Virtual Babysitting is for 11-15 year olds

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Home Alone Safety for Kids

Course Preview and Registration

Watch a short preview of the Home Alone Online course, see pricing and registration information.

Online Course Duration

Approximately 90 minutes

Pass Mark

A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to receive a certificate of completion. Participants are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved on the first attempt.

Certificate of Completion

Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available for download and printing.

Universally Compatible

This course was created using standards that will allow playback on most internet capable devices with standard web browsing capabilities including Apple's iTouch, iPad, and iPhone, as well as most other smart phones and tablets including those with Android and Windows operating systems.

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Frequently asked questions about Home Alone training

How old do you have to be to take the Home Alone course?

What topics are included in the Home Alone course?

At What Age Can A Child Stay Home Alone?

Canada

The Canadian government has not defined a legal age at which a child can be left home alone. Manitoba and New Brunswick are the only two provinces in Canada where provincial child welfare acts state that children cannot legally be left home alone under the age of 12. In the other provinces, parents have guidelines to follow regarding this issue. In general, child protection agencies recommend that a child younger than 10 not be left alone and only for short periods of time.

This is a complicated issue and the guidelines are unclear. Please refer to this article from the Canadian Child Welfare Research Portal: Legal Age for Leaving Children
Unsupervised Across Canada

United States

In the United States, only three States currently have laws regarding a minimum age for leaving a child home alone. Illinois law requires children to be 14 years old before being left alone; in Maryland, the minimum age is 8, while in Oregon, children must be 10 before being left home alone.

SOS 4 Kids recommends that a child be at least 10 years old and only when parents consider their child to be responsible and ready. A child who is not willing or ready should never be left home alone.

Not all ten year old children have a level of responsibility or maturity needed to stay on their own even in a safe environment. This is a judgement call left for parents as they know their child’s abilities best. It is important for children to be armed with important safety information that will help them make wise decisions, prevent injuries and deal with an emergency or an unexpected situation if needed.

Where can I find information about Virtual Babysitting Classes?