How old does a child have to be to babysit in Illinois and Missouri? What the law says
As the beginning of the school year is still a few weeks away for many metro-east students, parents may be considering hiring some to look after their child during the workday.
If you’re considering asking a neighbor or friend’s child to watch yours, you may want to brush up on state laws regarding babysitting. The minimum age requirement for children to legally babysit varies in Illinois and Missouri.
The American Red Cross offers courses on babysitting and child care for children who are at least 11 years old. The organization’s basic class includes information about how to care for infants and children, emergency situation preparedness, how to start a babysitting business and more.
Care.com, an online directory for child care, senior care, pet sitting and more, recommends parents or guardians consider several factors before deciding whether their child is ready to watch other children, including whether your child meets your state’s legal age minimum to babysit and whether your child has had any practice babysitting.
Here are more tips from Care.com:
- Consider having your child take babysitting and first-aid classes.
- Discuss proper safety and care and make sure your child knows how to make an emergency call.
- Ask yourself if your child is focused and mature enough to responsible for other children.
- Make sure your child is comfortable being home alone and taking care of themselves before expecting them to care for others.
It’s also important to ensure your child is interested in and excited about babysitting, Care.com says.
Here’s what to know about hiring a babysitter in the Land of Lincoln and the Show Me State.
Babysitting age minimums in Illinois and Missouri
Illinois law says it is illegal to leave a child under 14 alone for an “unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that minor.”
The minimum age requirement for a babysitter is 14 in Illinois. Here’s what the law says:
“A person commits child abandonment when he or she, as a parent, guardian, or other person having physical custody or control of a child, without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that child, knowingly leaves that child who is under the age of 13 without supervision by a responsible person over the age of 14 for a period of 24 hours or more.”
It’s important to note a number of factors are taken into consideration when determining whether the child was left without regard to their welfare, including:
The child’s age
The number of children left
Any disabilities or medical needs the child may have
Duration of time left alone
The condition and location of where the child was left
The time of day or night the child was left
Weather conditions, including whether the child had adequate protection from the elements
Whether the child was given an emergency phone number and was capable of making a call
Missouri law does not specify an age at which children can or cannot be left home alone, according to a 2014 document from the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division. The state also does not have a legal minimum age requirement for babysitters.
Missouri state statutes define neglect as “the failure to provide, by those responsible for the care, custody, and control of a child under the age of eighteen years, the care reasonable and necessary to maintain the physical and mental health of the child, when such failure presents a substantial probability that death or physical injury or sexual injury would result.”
Neglect can carry felony charges in Missouri.
This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 2:08 PM.
