What is a good policy for dealing with parents who leave their children at the library as free daycare / babysitting?

Question

What is an appropriate response to a parent who leaves the child so they can work elsewhere in the library?

Are there time periods that are "okay" vs. "not okay" (e.g., fifteen minutes vs. five hours, not time of day)?

When and how should the law get involved?

What if children do not have parents to pick them up at closing time?

Points to consider:

• All of this is going to divide into age ranges where lack of parental supervision is appropriate and where it is not appropriate. Please be specific if you are aware of specific policies on this.
• Local law may also play a factor; please note if you are aware that (and how) this is the case.

Answer 1

Our policy, which is posted on our website (and otherwise available), focuses more on behavior than on age guidelines, although we do specify that no child under six may be alone in the library. Focusing on behavior allows staff flexibility in assessing and responding to situations involving youth of any age. The policy is:

[The library] welcomes children. Library staff members are trained to help children with library materials and services. We want to provide a safe and appropriate environment for all library users. However, each of our libraries is a public building. The library does not have facilities or staffing to provide childcare and childcare is not the library's role.

Parents and caregivers are responsible for the safety, comfort and behavior of their children while in the library. Please make sure your child comes to the library with a responsible person. Library staff members will take the actions outlined below in these or similar situations:

A child is alone and frightened or crying in the library
A child is alone and doing something dangerous, or another person in the library seems to be a danger to the child
A child is alone and is not following library rules
No caregiver comes to pick a child up at closing time
Any child under the age of six is alone in the library. 

Library staff members will evaluate the situation and try to contact the child's parent or guardian. If staff cannot reach the parent or guardian, they will place the child in the care of the appropriate local law enforcement agency.

Answer 2

This is part of our policy manual and is posted where needed. Copies are also handed out when appropriate. Our city government has an appointed Library Board which oversees and works with the library administration:

1. UNATTENDED CHILDREN AND/OR DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR POLICY

The [*] Library welcomes youth of all ages. The library, although a fun and entertaining place to be, is a busy public facility, and public places may present hazards for unsupervised children. The safety of children left alone in a library building is a serious concern of the library staff. The responsibility for the safety and behavior of children in the library rests with the parent/caregiver and not with the library personnel. Library employees cannot be responsible for children who are unattended or demonstrating inappropriate behavior.

Parents are responsible for the conduct of minor children (under 16 years of age) in the library or on library grounds, regardless of whether they are with their children or not.

No child age ten (10) or younger may be left unattended in any area of the library. Children up to age 10 years of age and younger must be supervised by a caregiver at least 12 years old who is able to attend to the child’s safety and ensure appropriate behavior. A child up to age 10 or younger who is attending a library program need not be accompanied in that program by a parent/caretaker, unless otherwise indicated.

Children up to age 6 must have a parent/caregiver in the immediate vicinity of and in visual contact with the child.

Children of any age who require special supervision shall be accompanied by a parent/caregiver at all times.

The use of the children’s area is for children and teens through 17 years of age. For the safety of all children, adults (18 and over) who are not accompanied by a child, are to use the children’s area only for the purpose of retrieving materials for check out or to make arrangements to pull materials for research to be used in other areas of the library.

The use of the teen area is for teens in 6th-12th grades only. For the safety of teens, adults older than this or children younger than this are not allowed in the room unless retrieving materials for checkout. Parents wanting to use the internet with their teens are asked to use the computers in either the children’s area or at [the computer lab area.]