Is there a law in Colorado as to how old a child must be to be home alone? If not, how old should a child be to be left home alone as well as watch his 2 younger siblings?
by 
Anonymous
ANSWERS: 3
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generally 13 years of age
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13 - alone. 16 - to watch others. I would me more comfortable if the oldest could drive, in case there is an issue and they need to go to the hospital or something like that.
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"The laws of Colorado do not set a specific age after which a child legally can stay home alone....Colorado in general has accepted the age of 12 years as a guideline for when it might be appropriate for a child to be left alone for short periods of time. This standard is based upon the Colorado Child Labor Law, which deems 12 years as the minimum age for employment, for example a babysitter. (See Colorado Revised Statutes. § 8-12-105 (3))." There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. Georgia, Illiniois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with specific ages mentioned in their laws. 12 years of age appears to be the most common recommendation. http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm provides a state by state comparison with references. This site also provides one guideline from a California agency representative who suggests that 8 year olds and over can be left at home for up to several hours (usually after school before a parent gets home from work).
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