Wow what great tips, we are transitioning our daughter as well coming home alone and we are a little nervous. These are great ideas that we will start implementing now that she is in the fifth grade and hopefully by fall it will be routine.

We started letting our 6th grader come home this year. He gets off the bus at 3 and we don't get home until 5:30 or so. He comes in, eats a snack, and (usually) starts his homework. He has ADHD, so even when he was in aftercare throughout elem, homework wasn't always done.

Things that helped:

we got an electronic lock with a keypad. No key to lose and I can check from my phone to make sure he locked the door when he got in.

Detailed list that I leave each day with everything that he needs to do (unpack, eat snack, do math worksheet, read for 30 minutes, etc. Sometimes I add extra chores to the list (fold your clothes in the dryer, put away dishes in the dishwasher, etc)

Amazon Echo dots for setting reminders ("time to start homework!" "time to get ready for soccer practice" "dad will be home to pick you up in 15 minutes! Please be ready!")

I call in to check in when I can (my work doesn't always allow me to call/facetime because I tend to have more meetings in the afternoon) but he knows he can ALWAYS text me and I will answer.

No answering the door/going outside when we aren't home. Our neighbors have the same policy and all work so there isn't much temptation (and I can see when our doors have been opened with our security system.)

Sure, sometimes we get home and he hasn't done all of his homework and had been watching YouTube, but it is a learning process for everyone. It is finding a balance between helicoptering and going rogue!

Try her...I bet she will surprise you!

I teach at a middle-high school that has aftercare. I started leaving my eight year old home alone last summer while I ran errands. We started with thirty minutes and slowly expanded to about two hours. She has access to a phone and knows what to do in an emergency. We had a few hiccups where the phone didn't work or someone rang the doorbell. We put contingencies in place after those. So far so good.

Thank you for the information, with so much going on in the world i was just concerned since she has done aftercare all through elementary school and her organization skills is not the best when it comes to keeping up with keys or even with her homework folder. I will check with the facilities to see if they offer anything for students after school. I will also look at maybe having her at the end of the year come home on the bus a few days from school and see how it works. I was just unsure if at this age students were going home alone, we do not have other children so this is new to us.

I had this concern, too. But I let mine come home and stay alone, and it worked out fine. We did a couple practice runs in the summer, where I would go out for a while. I was able to change my work hours so I went in early and was home by 4:30, meaning she was only alone for 90 minutes or so.

The only problem we had was when her phone died AND she forgot her key on the same day. She was able to go to a neighbor's house to call me and all ended up fine.

Anonymous wrote:Both Kentland and Palmer Park Community Centers are within the bounds of Kenmoor. They are beautiful facilities. My daughter takes dance lessons at the Kentlands one. It might be worth calling and see if they offer any after school programs like Xtreme Teens.

Try Sports and Learning Complex. http://www.pgxtremeteens.com/Hot_Happenings/Programs/Xtreme_After-School.htm

Both Kentland and Palmer Park Community Centers are within the bounds of Kenmoor. They are beautiful facilities. My daughter takes dance lessons at the Kentlands one. It might be worth calling and see if they offer any after school programs like Xtreme Teens.

Hello,

My son will be entering 6th grade at Kenmoor Middle School. He has been staying home since 4th grade. What exactly is your concern? There is no before and aftercare although I am sure you can enroll her in afternoon activities at the school. I realized that my son will be getting off the bus at 5pm. What time would you be getting home? How long would she be home? If it makes you more comfortable, you can find someone (a friend) that she can do hw with after school at your or their house. But honestly, depending on how long she is home, she will be fine.

My daughter will be enrolled at kenmoor middle school next year in the 6th grade. I do not feel she is ready to get off the bus and come home by herself until someone arrives. I am interested in wanting to know if your children go home by themselves in middle school? Are there any programs that offer before and after care programs for the middle school age group?