Can you face charges for leaving a child home alone in PA? What the law says is a crime

Now that schools are out for the summer, parents in Pennsylvania and across the country may consider leaving their children at home during the day to cut down on child care costs.

But in the Keystone State, is that a viable option — or even legal?

The costs of child care remain on the rise across the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, which concluded average prices for day care and preschool programs increased by nearly 5% over the last year . Back in 2022, the advocacy group Child Care Aware found child care costs have increased by nearly 250% since the early 1990s.

No matter how you slice it, providing care for children can present challenges for working parents. This might leave them wondering how old their children should be before they can supervise themselves and their siblings, and what potential legal consequences could follow if children are left home unsupervised.

Here’s what you need to know about Pennsylvania’s child care laws, including potential consequences for parents in the commonwealth.

What does Pennsylvania law say about leaving your child unsupervised?

The commonwealth does not offer specific laws that dictate at what age a child can be left home alone. Pennsylvania leaves these decisions up to parents, who are ultimately responsible for their children if they are left unsupervised. Similarly, there is no state law dictating a minimum age for babysitters .

If children are harmed or placed in danger while left home alone, parents in Pennsylvania could be liable to face charges of child abuse and neglect.

Under Pennsylvania law , child abuse is defined as acts that intentionally, knowingly or recklessly produce any of the following scenarios:

• Causing bodily or mental injury through any recent act or failure to act
• Fabricating, feigning or intentionally exaggerating a medical symptom or disease that results in a potentially harmful medical evaluation or treatment
• Causing sexual abuse or exploitation of a child
• Creating a likelihood of bodily injury or sexual abuse or exploitation
• Engaging in harmful physical acts such as kicking and burning children, using unreasonable restraints, forcefully shaking or slapping children or leaving children in the care of registered sexual offenders
• Causing the death of a child through any act or failure to act
• Engaging a child in a severe form of trafficking

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania defines “serious physical neglect” as acts that endanger a child’s life or health, including:

• A repeated, prolonged or egregious failure to supervise a child in a manner that is appropriate considering the child’s developmental age or abilities
• The failure to provide a child with adequate essentials of life, including food, shelter or medical care

What charges can parents face for leaving children at home and at risk?

In Pennsylvania, potential charges for child abuse and neglect can widely vary depending on the nature of the case. Usually, child neglect is punishable as a felony.

Any offense of endangering the welfare of children is punishable in Pennsylvania as a first-degree misdemeanor. However, if you personally engaged in conduct that endangered the welfare of a child, that offense bumps up to at least a third-degree felony. If conduct toward a child created “a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury,” you could face up to a second-degree felony, which is punishable by a fine of between $5,000 and $25,000, imprisonment of up to 10 years or both.

In Pennsylvania, charges on child welfare endangerment can increase by one grade if, at the time an offense allegedly occurred, the child was younger than 6 years old.

Not everyone in Pennsylvania is a mandated reporter, or someone required by law to report suspected child abuse. However, workers in many jobs — including licensed health officials, teachers and social service workers — are required to report suspected abuse if they have reasonable cause to suspect a child is a victim of child abuse.

You can report suspected abuse by calling 1-800-932-0313 or visiting pa.gov/en/services/dhs/report-child-abuse-or-neglect.html .

How do I know if a child is old enough to stay home alone?

Children mature at different rates and might be capable of caring for themselves or other children sooner or later than peers of a similar age. Parents should think critically about their children while assessing their ability to provide adequate care.

The nonprofit Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance recommends parents consider the following tips and guidelines when deciding if their children are ready to take care of themselves at home:

• Age and maturity — How have your children shown responsibility in the past? Can they care for themselves? Do they obey rules and make good decisions?

• Feelings – How comfortable is your child being left alone? Are they afraid?

• Time – How long will your children be alone? How often? Consider the time of day, plus times for meals and sleep.

• Other children – How many children will be in the home without an adult? Do they get along well? Are the older children able to care for the younger ones?

• Safety – How safe is your neighborhood? Have a safety plan for emergencies and make sure children know addresses, phone numbers and how to call 911 if needed. Can your children contact you at all times? Are neighbors available to help?

The nonprofit also offers some suggestions for parents whose children are ready for time alone at home:

• Use a trial period. Leave your children alone for a short time while you are nearby and see how they manage.

• Role play by acting out situations to help your children learn how to respond.

• Establish rules and make sure your children know what is and is not allowed when you are not home. A list of manageable chores might help keep your children busy.

• Call and check in with your children while you’re gone or consider asking a friend to stop by.

• Talk to your children about their feelings. Encourage them to share how they feel about staying home alone and address their concerns.

• Don’t overdo it. Even the most mature and responsible children shouldn’t be left alone too often, the PFSA advises. Consider utilizing summer day camps, community centers or church activities to keep children busy if they are left alone at home too often.

Parents should consider leaving their children with a first-aid kit and make sure they know how to lock windows and doors, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a federal service of the Children’s Bureau, the Administration for Children and Families and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children should be instructed not to open doors for strangers or use heated appliances while at home alone.