During China's economic transformation, much of the rural population migrated to urban areas in search of employment opportunities. "Left-behind children" are the product of this phenomenon and need significant attention. Our study adopted elementary school students in Sichuan province as the subjects. After carefully studying their…

Discusses various school-age child care options: self-care, telephone help lines; neighborhood check-in programs, youth activities; family day care, and after-school child care programs. (JOW)

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-religious country with a population of more than 25 million people who live in the Peninsular and the States of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo Island. It is a harmonious and peaceful nation comprised of Malays, who are the ethnic majority, followed by Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazandusuns, and…

Describes "Home Alone," a program to teach "latchkey" students cooking, home safety, and financial planning so that they can cope with the realities of their daily lives. (JOW)

The implementation and operation of an after-school program for latchkey children in Jackson, Tennessee, is described. (MT)

As childhood obesity has increased, schools have struggled with their role in this epidemic. Parents with a school-age child in a suburban latchkey program were surveyed regarding their perceptions of childhood obesity, body mass index, and the school's role in prevention and treatment of obesity. More than 80% of participants identified…

This longitudinal study evaluated associations among official rates of neighborhood crime, academic performance, and aggression in a sample of 581 children in 1st-3rd grade (6.3-10.6 years old). It was hypothesized that the influence of crime depends on children's unsupervised exposure to the neighborhood context through self-care. Average weekly…

Describes the use of children's drawings to evaluate their attitudes about having to take care of themselves. States that using drawings with special populations can give evaluators the opportunity to obtain data that otherwide would not be collected. (CH)

Presents an overview of research on factors that influence the latchkey experience, and a survey that can be used in assessing conditions that exist with latchkey children on the local level. Practical suggestions for the counselor's role are given. (BL)

Children who may have to care for themselves need to be taught responsibility at an early age. Daily routines that will accustom young children to after-school routines and develop organizational skills should be established. Safety and security precautions are addressed. These include "what if" games that prepare children for the…

Books of advice for parents on the perils of "latchkey" children were published before researchers began to investigate the topic. We argue that the early "how to" books for parents created some overgeneralizations that require rethinking. Four popular assumptions about children in self-care are examined against current theory and research…

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study examining young people's perceived motivations for "binge drinking", and the associated harmful outcomes. Sixty-four, in-depth, one-to-one interviews were carried out with 14 to 17 year olds in southern England who had experience of binge drinking. Given the underage sample, most of…

Illustrates how one mother and her 10-year-old son worked out a latchkey arrangement for after school. (PCB)

Investigated factors associated with amount of time children spend in self-care among 1,194 mothers of latchkey children. Found that children's age and mother's hours per week of paid employment were significantly related to greater use of self-care arrangements. Mother's frequency of attendance at religious services was related to lesser use of…

Discusses the various inclement weather conditions (and regional biases toward them) contributing to administrators' decisions to close school for the day or for part of the day. Considers childcare problems and safety considerations. An inset offers closing advice for parents. (MLH)