How old do Florida kids have to be to stay home alone on spring break?

Several Florida students are celebrating spring break this week, and parents and guardians may be looking for ways to keep their kids busy until school returns next week.

Bouncing around from daycare to summer camps to relatives’ houses can easily add up. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average annual cost of full-time child care in Florida ranges from $9,548 to $13,021, depending on the children’s ages.

With these expenses, some families might wonder whether their children are ready to stay home alone. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make the decision.

At what age can kids stay home alone in Florida? What’s the youngest legal age?

Florida doesn’t have clear laws specifying an exact age at which children can legally stay home alone. It’s up to parents to decide when their children are old enough.

The state agency overseeing children’s welfare recommends that they not be left home alone before age 12.

The state does have more specific laws surrounding child abandonment and neglect. According to Florida State Statutes, it is a felony of the third degree to deprive a child of necessary food, clothing, shelter, or medical treatment.

Can a 12-year-old babysit siblings in Florida?

According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends that children not be left alone before the age of 12. It also notes that older siblings should not supervise younger children until they are 15.

See tips for parents and caregivers letting kids stay home alone

Once you have determined that your child is ready to stay home alone, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families shared tips to help caregivers prepare children for being home alone:

• Have a trial period and start small. When your child is ready, leave them home alone for a short time while staying nearby. This is a good way to see how they will manage.
• Talk about it beforehand. Encourage your child to share their feelings about staying home alone with you, and address any thoughts or concerns they may have before leaving.
• Teach them about safety. Before leaving your child home alone, make sure they are mature enough to handle the responsibility and understand the safety rules. Develop a family emergency plan to help them handle situations such as a fire, a power outage, or a stranger approaching the house. Practice basic first aid and teach them what to do if they need to contact emergency services, perhaps through role-play.
• Establish family rules and set boundaries. Set clear guidelines about what your child can and cannot do while home alone. Establish rules for screen time, internet use, and the use of kitchen appliances and other potentially dangerous items.
• Don’t overdo it. Avoid leaving your child home alone overnight or for extended periods. Consider other options or resources, such as family or friends, or programs offered by your child’s school, community centers, youth organizations, or faith-based groups, to help with supervising your child.
• Follow up. After your child is left home alone (including during any trial period), talk about the experience with them. How did they feel about it? Were they nervous? Did anything unexpected come up? If they were watching another child, ask how they felt about doing so.

When is spring break for Florida students? See list by county

Spring break dates vary by county and range from early in March to mid-April. Here’s the list by county, with those in bold currently having its spreak break:

Special note: School calendars often change. Here’s a state list of homepages for each Florida school district.

Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK Florida

Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.