How to Keep Your Home Safe When the Kids are in School

Now that the kids back in school, your home will remain empty during the day. Here are some tips for keeping your house safe when everyone has left for work or school, and when they return.

Involve the Kids

Home security should involve the entire family and not just adults. Give the younger kids basic safety rules such as how to lock all the doors, never open the door for anyone if they are home alone, and how to talk to people through the door, if needed. Teach them never to admit that they are home alone. Have them memorize a list of important numbers, in case they have to contact anyone in an emergency. Be sure you know their daily routine including when and how they leave for school, and when and how they return.

Rely on an Alarm System with Remote Features

Install a home security system that can sound an alarm if someone breaks in. Set up sensors at all potential entry points and around sensitive areas such as a home safe or a gun cabinet. Talk to your neighbors about how to contact you if they hear your alarm go off. Better yet, choose a system that can contact you remotely by text or email if it is activated. For safety with a human touch, consider signing up for a monitoring service that can offer you peace of mind by watching your home when you’re not there.

Develop Emergency Plans

Do your kids know what to do when they return home and discover that the front door is unlocked? How about when you’re in bed and your fire alarm goes off? What if a wildfire forces an evacuation while everyone is away from home? The time to think about these situations is before they happen so your family can develop an emergency plan. Find a way for everyone to leave your home safely and develop alternatives if routes are blocked. Develop a way for everybody to contact each other and where to meet if an emergency happens and nobody is at home.

Teach the Kids About Dangers Outside the Home

Tell your kids to be alert and aware whenever they walk to and from the bus stop or school. If they feel threatened, such as by someone following them, teach them how to approach a responsible adult such as a police officer, teacher, or even a mail carrier. Instruct them not to interact with strangers or to accept rides from people they don’t know. If they come home to a door that is unlocked or a window that is broken and you’re not home, tell them to approach a neighbor who can either contact the police or you.

Do you want more information about protecting your home? We’re here to help. Contact us at Boyd & Associates today.