After school, many children come home to an unsupervised environment while their parents are still at work. Studies have shown that these
children are most likely to use drugs and engage in behavior that is inappropriate for their age group. (Kelly/Mooney
Photography/Corbis)
persons work. Solutions for providing appropriate
care for children must also examine the needs and re-
sources of the parents.
Children have varying characteristics that affect
their need for supervision and the type of supervision
that will be adequate. Among these factors are age,
developmental level, maturity, and physical, social,
and emotional problems. Environmental resources
such as the neighborhood, the home itself, and the
quantity and quality of available community pro-
grams are also important.
It is a mistake to lump all children together and
fail to recognize the wide variation among them and
also the variation in situations and resources. For ex-
ample, one situation might involve a mature twelve-
year-old child who follows an agreed-upon routine
while at home, has a secure home, can communicate
via telephone or computer with at least one parent,
and has a neighbor who checks in once or twice and
watches the house. Quite another situation might in-
volve a thirteen-year-old child who is beginning to ex-
plore drugs and sexuality, cannot be depended upon
to follow an agreed-upon routine, has little contact
with parents after school, and lives in an unsafe
neighborhood. The range of individual and situation-
al variables must be taken into account when attempt-
ing to understand both problems and solutions for
children in need of supervision.Mixed Empirical Findings
Numerous studies have been conducted since the
1970s investigating unsupervised children from psy-
chological, sociological, and educational perspec-
tives. The findings have been quite mixed, with some
researchers finding clear differences between super-
vised and self-care children and some failing to do so.
Among the former, Ruth C. Reynolds found that un-
supervised children were at greater risk than super-
vised children for negative feeling, insecurity, acci-
dents, abuse, neglect, and fear. Thomas J. Long and
Lynette Long found that 30 percent of the un-
supervised African-American children in their studyLATCHKEY CHILDREN 233