JBER youth curfew guidlines designed to assist parents Published June 23, 2011 By Air Force Maj. Michael Burpee JBER Family Advocacy JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Youth Supervision Guidelines have been developed to help set a standard for families residing on the installation. These guidelines are very similar to those found at other military installation both inside and outside the continental United States. Additionally, many communities and law enforcement agencies have also incorporated guidelines such as these to help establish the appropriate level of supervision for children of all ages. Most parents welcome the supervision guidelines as a helpful parenting tool that helps them keep their children safe. An important point for parents to keep in mind is children will develop differently than their peers for a variety of reasons. It should be understood the JBER Youth Supervision Guidelines were created based upon the assumption of the child being within the normal range of his/her developmental stage. In some cases, an older child in question may not be mature enough to take on the responsibility of those identified for younger children. Parents know and understand their children better than anyone and in those circumstances they should make the determination of whether or not their child is ready for the identified activity. However, parents should not make the mistake of allowing younger children to engage in activities identified for older children. Even if parents feel their child is more mature than most or ready to take on more responsibilities than those identified for his current age group, parents should understand the guidelines also establish an acceptable standard in the JBER community. Those choosing to disregard these standards risk administrative action, legal action, or even removal from housing. All incidents of these guidelines being broken will result in a referral to the JBER Family Advocacy Program. When FAP receives a referral a determination will be made about whether or not the incident was egregious enough to warrant opening a FAP case. Family Advocacy receives many referrals regarding allegation of child neglect that could easily be avoided if the parents simply adhered to the supervision guidelines. In many cases the parents simply required the appropriate education and training to avoid future incidents. Unfortunately, some cases require involvement of other agencies such as Office of Children's Services. FAP would like to prevent child neglect or maltreatment before it occurs. Family Advocacy feels that these guidelines will help significantly with the prevention of child neglect and maltreatment within the JBER community. For any additional information or questions, please feel free to contact the JBER Family Advocacy Program at 580-5858. Age Quarters unattended Playground unattended Car unattended Walk to school alone 0-5 No No No No 6-9 No Yes Yes Yes 10-11 No Yes Yes Yes 12-16+ Yes Yes Yes Yes