Project Goals:

1. To implement the “Home Alone” program in Cornwall elementary schools.
2. To promote home and community safety with Cornwall children.
3. To provide children with the skills they need to be home alone safely for a brief period of time.
4. To increase children’s awareness of potentially dangerous situations.
5. To increase partnership between the Cornwall Community Police, St. John Ambulance & local schools.
6. To increase children’s awareness of their role in preventing crime.

Design:

This project implemented the St. John Ambulance “Home Alone” program in the elementary schools of the Upper Canada District School Board in Cornwall, ON. Home Alone is a program new to the Cornwall area that provides children with the skills they need to feel confident and safe should they find themselves alone in their homes. It is suitable for “latch key kids’ as well as for children who find themselves suddenly home alone when a caregiver is unexpectedly detained. Skills developed include; phone safety, neighbourhood awareness, proper use of 911, what is an emergency and how to respond to one, where to get help, who is your support system and when / how to use them, what to do when someone comes to your door, cooking safety, basic first aid, peer pressure, and internet safety.

The project was a partnership between the Upper Canada Leger Centre for Education Training (UCLCET), St. John Ambulance (SJA) and the Cornwall Community Police Service (CCP). Each agency had a specific role. UCLC was the lead agency handling administrative duties, scheduling, communication between partners, communication with the schools, financial documentation, grant reporting, project evaluation, and promotional events. SJA was the training body providing the teaching curriculum, materials, and instructor for the 'Home Alone' program. CCP was the supporting body providing instructional support and an authoritative presence to the program specifically in the areas of 911 use and abuse as well as internet safety.

The program was offered to students in grades four, five, and six as this is the age range that SJA targeted in developing and testing the curriculum. The program was offered at no cost to the participating schools or their students. This allowed us to present the program inclusive to all students in the participating classrooms without excluding students who do not have the additional funds needed to pay a registration fee for the program. It also allowed us to reach a broader range of students and therefore increase the potential impact of the program and the learning it includes.

Background:

The need for this project was determined by reviewing statistics, community profiles, surveying the community, and through discussions with community professionals in crime prevention and education.

Results indicated that:

• 19.5% of parents are single parents with average income is $22,399 below the median Cornwall average
• the number of stay at home moms is declining
• Cornwall residents have a higher than average percentage of low academic achievement
• there is a high level of blue collar jobs and a higher than average level of ‘working poor’ in the city
• there is a high level of people commuting out of the city to work
• community residents are concerned with ‘lack of parental supervision’ and the high level of youth crime
• false 911 calls are frequent and take valuable policing time away from the community
• the cohort for accidental death of young children is 2 to 3 times the national average
• egging houses and other ‘pranks’ by ‘tweens’ are frequent – community & Police want this to stop
• children who are home alone can give in to peer pressure and poor judgment and end up involved in ‘innocent pranks’

These results show a trend towards an increasing number of children who spend time home alone due to parents who are working shifts or out of town as well as indicating that many parents would not have the extra time or funds to take their child to a special class. The results also revealed a community concern for the lack of parental supervision and the increasing level of youth crime. Chief of Police, Dan Parkinson, expressed a high level of concern regarding the frequency of false 911 calls in the area and the impact this has on the provision of police services. He also expressed concern regarding egging of houses and other pranks. This situation has escalated to the point he has considered a by law against selling eggs to young children. The Cornwall Police consider the issue of home safety for young children to be one of high importance in preventing crime. This includes crime inflicted on a child who is home alone as well as crime involving a child home alone who succumbs to peer pressure and poor judgment and joins in ‘innocent’ pranks with other children. Increasing safety skills, awareness of the results of false 911 calls, the seriousness of ‘pranks’, and how to keep yourself and your neighbourhood safe when you are home alone are skills parents, the local police, and the community value and consider important for children to learn.

Resources included:

• Bilingual team with established record in project management, marketing, promotions, and research. Staff background in education, social services, counselling, health and safety.
• Involvement in community based projects as well as provincial and national level projects
• Designated Project Coordinator familiar with the community and community needs
• Established partnership and working relationship with the Upper Canada District School Board
• Strong partnership with St. John Ambulance and the Cornwall Community Police Service
• Agency Web page, IT support, and high level of computer proficiency for promotion of project and sharing of information
• Established working relationships with public and community service agencies throughout Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott-Russell and Akwesasne
• An incorporated Non Profit organization with Charitable Status - independent corporation entirely funded by project activities
• Established office with meeting facilities in the east end of the city

Evaluation:

1. Verbal test / assessment of student learning (Objectives 2,3,4,6)
   1. Included as part of the SJA “Home Alone” program and Assesses learning of all content
   2. Assesses student’s perception of their personal Home Alone safety pre and post the “Home Alone” program
   3. Notes on testing results will be recorded by instructors
   4. Certificates of completion will be given to all students who successfully demonstrate mastery of content of the course through Verbal responses to questions and Role play of proper actions in mock situations
      
      
2. Tracking of schools in which Home Alone project is implemented (objective 1)
   1. Program implemented in minimum of four Cornwall elementary schools to a maximum of fifteen classrooms (grades 4,5,6)
      
      
3. Visible presence/addition of Cornwall Community Police in the SJA Home Alone curriculum as evidenced by their instruction of the sections on Proper use of the 911 system; Internet safety (cyber bullying) (Objectives 5, 2, 4)
   
   
4. Student assignments on content (Objectives 1,2,3,4,6)
   1. Classrooms will be asked to complete an assignment on the content of the Home Alone project
   2. Project Coordinator will create and implement a rubric to assess level of learning of curriculum based on student assignments and reflection from classroom teacher and/or Home Alone Instructors
   3. Project Coordinator will create and implement a brief ‘Project Survey’ to be completed by classroom teacher to determine success of project and considerations for future development of the curriculum
      
      
5. Project partners will complete a survey to assess their perception of impact of the project on children and the community.