Problem:
After-School Programs because both parents often work full time, children may need somewhere to go after school. Approximately 15 percent of 6- to 12-year-olds in the United States are latchkey children, who let themselves into their homes after school and look after themselves until their parents get home (Rajalakshmi & Thanasekara, 2015). Not surprisingly, self-care increases as children get older, and most adolescents are in self-care at least some of the time. On the positive side, self-care places demands on children for responsibility and maturity (Belle, 1999). But it has a downside as well. These children are at higher risk for problems such as antisocial behavior, poor grades, heightened stress, and substance abuse (Belle, 1999; Lord & Mahoney, 2007; Rajalakshmi & Thanasekara, 2015), because children are most likely to become victims or participate in antisocial behavior during after-school hours (see Figure 9.1). The risks of leaving children alone are not lost on parents. As one mother fretted (Belle, 1999, p. 87): "It puts more pressure on me worrying about what she's doing in the afternoon. From 3 p.m. on I can't be totally relaxed. I'm thinking about whether she's home doing her homework." Parents can reduce the risks associated with self-care by distal monitoring, in which they check in by phone, and by establishing clear rules and expectations about permitted activities, friends, and places to go (Belle, 1999). Need Assignment Help?