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Sample Integrative Paper

Integrative Paper

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Introduction

Increasingly, children are coming home after school with no one to look after them. They have no one to make sure they are doing their homework and staying out of trouble. If the these children are at home alone, with no one to tell them that they cannot go and “play” until their homework is finished, then why would they stay in and do it.

In most homes there is either just one parent or both of the parents at home work full time jobs. This leaves children to fend for themselves after school is over. With no supervision children sometimes find themselves getting into trouble and not focusing on their schoolwork.

More and more schools are now providing after school programs for the students who would normally go home to an empty house. These after school programs are providing students with additional help with homework and physical activity. Students are able to stay at school as late as six o’clock, when most parents are home from work. Students no longer have to go home unsupervised.

Statement of Problem

Because so many children have no one to go home to, especially at-risk students and minorities, their schoolwork is suffering. Many parents are just trying to make ends meet and have a hard time making time for their children’s schoolwork. Students are not working up to their academic potential. Students learn new concepts at school such as reading and math, but they are not reinforced in the home. Also, with this lack of supervision comes a behavior problem. If these children have no one in the home to discipline them, they can do whatever they want without experiencing the consequences. This is the reason some younger children end up turning to groups such as gangs, to look for a sense of family and guidance. Being left home alone also raises questions about safety. Are school-aged children responsible enough to know what to do if a fire starts or if a stranger comes to the door? Physical health is not the only thing that may be in danger, but also the children’s mental health. Being home alone might leave a child feeling alone, scared, and anxious, which could potentially lead to feelings of depression. Parents need to consider all of the factors before leaving their child or children at home alone.

Review of Relevant Literature

The term “latchkey children” was coined in the early 19th century, which resulted from children wearing a house key around their neck (Gottlieb, 2004). Latchkey children are kids who come home after school to an unsupervised environment. These children are at home sometimes only alone for minutes at a time, but others do their homework, fix dinner, and put themselves to bed before parents are home from work (Peterson, 1998).

Parents need to ask themselves at what age would they feel comfortable leaving their child home alone. There is no particular age that a child is ready to be left at home alone. Who would dream of leaving a pre-school aged child at home alone, but it does happen. In many states, it is legal to leave an eight year old child and older at home alone to care for themselves (Peterson, 1998). Others suggest that the age of twelve is when children are ready and responsible enough to be left home alone. But all children mature at a different rate, so their can be no clear cut age to be the cutting off point for needing a babysitter or caregiver.

While one census suggests that only 7.2 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 13 -- about two million -- spend time in self-care, many experts estimate that over a quarter of the children who are between 6 and 14 years old spend time caring for themselves, most of them regularly (Gray, 1987). Another estimate is about five million children between the ages of five and thirteen are left home alone on a regular basis (Latchkey Children, 1998). Some estimates go as high as ten million latchkey children in the United States (Peterson, 1998). The exact number of latchkey children may never be known. Some parents are unable to admit that they leave their children home alone on a regular basis (Seligson and Fink, 1988).

Being home alone on a regular basis leads to having to deal with many potential problems. Problems with physical safety and mental health are situations that are possible. Being unsupervised increases the risk of an accident in the home. Injuries kill more children than the next nine leading causes of death combined. Children are drowning, getting burned, and getting hit by cars while playing in the street, which are all preventable, even more so when an adult or supervisor is present (Peterson, 1998). School-aged children who spend a significant amount of time at home alone experience feelings of loneliness, boredom, anxiety, and fear (Gottlieb, 2004). What if friends are not allowed to come over and play? What if all of their homework is finished? What if a stranger rings the doorbell? What if there is an accident and the child is unable to reach his or her parents? What can the child do then? Interaction between children is important because this is when they develop interpersonal skills. Research has indicated that children with the opportunity to socialize with peers during after-school hours are better adjusted and happier than those who do not (Middle-School kids Battle for the Right to Stay Home Alone, 1999).

Children who are left home alone tend to make more unhealthy choices when they are at home with no supervision. Many children use the television as a babysitter. While watching television children tend to eat. They pick foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt, which are all foods that are advertised on TV most often (Peterson, 1998). Not only do these children make bad choices about what foods to eat, but tend to engage in harmful activities such as, smoking, drinking, using drugs, and sexual activity. Being unsupervised gives children free rein to experiment. A 1998 study found that eighth grade students who were left at home unsupervised for eleven hours or more a week were twice as likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, as compared to children who were under supervision (Middle-School Kids Battle for the Right to Stay Home Alone, 1999). Not only that, but a study by Steinberg in 1986 on fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth graders showed that the less adult supervision the adolescents had, the more susceptible they were to giving in to peer pressure and to commit antisocial acts (Gray, 1987). Statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also show that school-aged children who spent no time participating in extracurricular activities were 49% more likely to have used drugs and 37% more likely to become teen parents than those students who spend one to four hours a week in extracurricular activities (Middle-School Kids Battle for the Right to Stay Home Alone, 1999). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the peak hours for juvenile crime are between 2 pm and 8 pm (Opening Doors to Latchkey Kids, 2001). With no one to tell these children no, they figure to themselves why not.

Not all research conducted about latchkey children has had a negative outcome. Results have been in favor of self-care and some outcomes have produced inconclusive data. People who are in favor of latchkey say that the experience of being home alone can provide children with the opportunity to become more self-reliant and promotes positive character building (Gottlieb, 2004). In a 1986 study of 1200 children in kindergarten through eighth grade by Hedlin and her colleagues, found that 80% of the students care for themselves said that they loved it or usually liked it (Gray, 1987). In 1985, no difference was found between the self-esteem, social skills, of sense of control over their own lives between fourth-grade latchkey children and fourth graders that were supervised by their parents (Gray, 1987). There are some children who are capable of self-care at a young age, it just depends how mature and responsible they are.

The effects of latchkeyism on children are not clear. Some think that latchkeyism promotes responsibility and independence in a child (Rooney, 1983). On the other hand, people argue that the lack of supervision encourages delinquent behavior and get in the way of the child's emotional and social growth (Rooney, 1983). Rather recently, parents and teachers have recognized the increasing need for after-school childcare. There have been steps made forward to alleviate the growing problem. More and more schools are providing structured, after school programs for the students who would normally go home alone. Children are also participating in more extracurricular activities that provide them with supervision of an adult. But there are still some schools that do not provide after-school care. In these instances parents are forced to leave their children home unattended.

Anecdotal Data

As my volunteer work, I chose to lend my time to Franklin Elementary at their after school program. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I worked from 2:30 to 5:30pm when the last bus of children left to go home. There are about 250 students in the school and anywhere from 80 to a few over 100 students stay each day. The students that need to stay are provided with an afternoon snack, help with homework and basic skills such as reading, writing, and math, and time for physical activity. The children are broken up into age groups and put with a qualified teacher. Some of the students still must ride the bus home, but by the time they do get home most of their parents will be there.

My personal help was needed to get the snack ready for all the students before they came into the cafeteria, to clean it up, and extra supervision for the kindergarteners. It was also my responsibility to keep the children under control as much as possible. My help was much needed by the teachers since this is a relatively new program for the school.

Because so many children stayed each day it was obvious to me that the majority of the students came from a home where both parents worked or from a single parent home. I was definitely needed in the kindergarten room. In particular, I worked alongside Ms. Huey, who overwhelmingly had her hands full. Getting snack ready for sometimes over 100 elementary school students took quite a bit of time, but working with the kindergarteners was the most challenging part of the experience.

For the most part I can say that the behavior of all of the students was out of control. My patience was tested many times by all the different ages of students. There was a lack of manners. When the students were disciplined it almost seemed like they did not care. More of the girls cooperated, but the boys were almost unmanageable and sometimes disrespectful not only to the teachers, but to other students. The behavior problems are a tell tale sign that these children are latch key kids. If they were permitted to go home after school no one would be there to discipline them, and I think many of them would rather have it that way. On the positive side of things, I learned valuable classroom management skills for my future classroom.

In Ms. Huey’s kindergarten class each day the students worked on reading, writing, and math skills before getting to play games. I acted as a tutor to the students. If one to two students needed extra help understanding a concept, we went out in the hall to concentrate on it. During these times was when I was able to talk to the students on a personal level. One boy told me that he did not have toys or books at his house. Normally, I would take that as a child just exaggerating, but in this boy’s case it was obvious that there was no learning going on at the home. He couldn’t even say the alphabet.

I believe that the students benefited from me being in the classroom. I was there to give personal attention, which is what some of the children really need.

Course Perspectives

In today’s society most families are not fortunate enough to able to survive financially, without both parents working. Some children are sent to daycare, left at home with a babysitter, and some are just left at home to fend for themselves. A number of parents have no other option but to depend on someone else to care for their children. Without teachers, babysitters, and daycare workers some parents would not be able to go to work. Parents are interdependent on these people because they look to them for support and assistance to look after their children, and most of all trust them to do so. Parents of school-aged children are interdependent on other people to look after their children, and working parents with school-aged are interconnected. They all know the trouble of having to find a babysitter at the last minute when their child is sick and cannot go to school. They all feel the same pain of not being able to be at every little league game or dance recital because of work. And they all know how hard it is to raise children when they have to work all the time to provide for their families. The children of these parents are also interconnected with one another. They know how it feels to come home to an empty house after school. Working parents must work together. They must rely on one another when possible. If one parent is able to pick the children up from school one day, so that the children do not have to go to an empty home or stay after school, the other parent could volunteer the next time they had a day off of work. When people work together and do favors for one another things can go much smoother.

Children going home to an empty house and academic achievement are interrelated. As a school-aged child it is hard to have enough discipline to go home and do homework if there is no one there to tell you to do so. And sometimes children have questions; what if there is no one there to ask? It is easy just to give up. Students who do not have supervision after school tend to not work up to their full potential in school. This is why it is important that parents make sure their children have some kind of guidance after school. When children stay after school, they are able to get extra help on homework and more practice with skills. It is important that the interaction between the students and teachers is meaningful. The children need to know that the teachers are there to provide help and guidance. The extra assistance provided in after school programs really affects the students’ performance in school.

Summary and Conclusions

After school programs will solve the whole problem of students being left home alone after school, raise everyone’s grades, or keep students out of trouble, but it is a great place to start. For older students, such as eighth grade and up who think that they are too old for a babysitter or to participate in the after school program, extracurricular activities are also ways to get children involved.

Suggestions for Further Research

Teachers who participate in after school programs can compare the progress and behavior of children who stay after school and those who go home to an empty house. The teachers will see for themselves if after school programs work because all of the findings will be first hand experience.

Recommendations

Some parents do not have the option of hiring a babysitter, sending their child to daycare, or letting the student stay at an after school program. If this is the case parents should prepare their child for being home alone. It is important to teach the child how to use the key, lock all doors and windows from the inside, and safely store the key. He also needs to know how to get out of the house in case of an emergency like a fire. For a child to be able to stay at home alone it is crucial for him to know his home phone number, full address, and wear his parents can be reached at all times. He should also know to call 911 in case of an emergency. Role-playing is a good way to get a child comfortable with calling 911 in the appropriate situation. See if he would know what to do if the popcorn in the microwave caught on fire, if someone followed him home from school, or he lost his key and cannot get into the house. Make sure the child always walks home the same way everyday, so the parent knows that he is safe (Heins, 2004).

Another step to letting a child stay home alone is setting basic ground rules that apply all the time. The first thing the child should do when arriving at home is to get in contact with his parents in some way, whether he talks to them over the phone or sends them a page. Make sure he knows where he is allowed to play, how long, and with whom. Limits must also be set for how long he should be able to watch television, talk on the phone, and play video and computer games. Know who is coming over to the house after school and who should not be allowed in the house without parent supervision (Heins, 2004). Having rules and guidelines for behavior will do no good if they are not enforced. Not only is important to tell the child what he should do, but make sure it is being done.

Some children love being at home alone after school. On the other hand some children are scared and uncomfortable. To ease their minds, it is also a good idea to have a neighbor or family friend check up on the children from time to time.

Works Cited

Gottlieb, Dr. M. I. (2004). Latchkey children: “something to think about”. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.demauro.com/marv3.html

Gray, E. B. (1987). Latchkey children. US Department of Education. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.accg.net/latchkey_key.htm

Heins, Dr. M. (2004). Latch-key kids. Parent Kids Right. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://parentkidsright.com/pt-latchkeykids.html

Latchkey children. (1998). Ceredo Volunteer Fire Department. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ceredofire.org/keykids.html

Middle school kids battle for the right to stay home alone. (1999, September 1). The Wall Street Journal, p. B1.

Opening doors to latchkey kids. (1999). Northwest Education Magazine. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/spring_99/article6b.html

Peterson, L. (1998). Latchkey children. Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/g2604/0003/2602000343/p1/article.jhtml

Rooney, T. (1983). Who is watching our children? The latchkey phenomenon. California State Legislature, Sacramento. Senate Office of Research. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://theallengroup.com/members/Fr_pabon.html

Seligson, M., & Fink, D. B. (1988). Latchkey children and school-age children child care. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. Retrieved April 10, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed301360.htm