Supervision guidelines for KMC children

The last day of school is approaching and summer break is just around the corner. During summer, outdoor activities naturally increase for children in the military community. Therefore, parents, sponsors and adults are asked to familiarize themselves with the KMC Supervision Guidelines for preventive measures to protect children from neglect and injuries. Some examples of child neglect are inadequate supervision, a failure to protect from harm, abandonment, or leaving children unattended in the car.

Supervision of children is a critical part of safety. Children do not have the same understanding or concept of danger as adults do. Children are certainly curious, and part of being curious and learning is to explore.  Unfortunately, there can be many dangers around children, both seen and unseen, and unsupervised curiosity can lead to harm. Whether you live on or off base, your child’s welfare and safety is the responsibility of the parent/guardian and sponsor, NOT the child’s responsibility.

The table top right presents the minimum supervision guidelines.  Remember, each child is different. This means that as a parent and sponsor, in addition to the minimum supervision guidelines, you have to consider child-specific factors such as personality, developmental progress, environment and maturity when making the decision to determine if the child is ready to accomplish activities with little or no supervision. The parents and sponsors are responsible to make these decisions.

The mission of the Air Force Family Advocacy Program is to build healthy communities by implementing programs designed for prevention and treatment of child and adult abuse. The Family Advocacy Program at Ramstein Air Base offers various prevention and treatment classes such as parenting, stress/anger management, Change Step, couples’ classes, and more. For further information about supervision guidelines and prevention/treatment classes, please contact Family Advocacy Program at 06371-46-2370;  479-2370.

Supervision of a child is the key to their health and safety. By following the guidelines, the providers in the Family Advocacy Program hope your family has a safe and happy summer!