Be sure your child knows basic safety rules before leaving him at home alone. On arriving home to an empty house, have your child telephone someone to check in. Be sure he keeps the doors locked and does not open the door to anyone but another family member; even friends should not be inside the house unless an adult is present. Provide a list of emergency phone numbers, including someone else he can call if you can't be reached.

In the event that he will be alone for an extended period, have him check in with you or someone else once an hour and call if he has any sort of problem. Tell him to trust his intuition and call if he thinks something is wrong even if he can't pinpoint what it is. Make backup plans for the inevitable problems that crop up when your latchkey kid is on his own: He could lose the house key, need help in an emergency, miss the school bus, or get stranded.