Just because you are home alone does not mean you have to be an easy target for a home invasion.
The following is a checklist to determine if you are prepared in the event you find yourself home alone.

• Do you have a set of "house rules"?If so, post them on your refrigerator door or bulletin board so that your kids can read them.
  
• Does everybody in your house know how and when to call 911?
• Do you have a fully stocked first-aid kit?Does everybody at home know where it is kept?
• Do you have regular check-in procedures for your family members while you are away?Do you check-in with them or they check-in with you at regular times?
• Do you have rules regarding cooking or using any heat-producing appliance for your kids when no adults are around?
• Do you have certain items in your home locked up so that children cannot have easy access to them (such as prescription drugs, alcohol, firearms, etc.
  )?
• Do your family members have your work as well as cell phone numbers?Do they have phone numbers of a next door neighbor or other responsible adult who lives close by?
• Do your children walk the same route to your home from school daily and call you right away when they arrive home?
• Does everybody in your family know how to answer the phone and door when they are home alone?Do they know how to act as though somebody is with them at home?Do they know not to tell callers that other family members are absent?
• Does everyone in the family know to ask for identification from anybody who knocks on the door?
• Does everybody in the family know not to enter the house if they come home to find the door ajar, a window broken, or other indications that an intruder could be within?
• Do you know your kids' schedules?Do they know yours so that nobody has to worry where the other person is?
• Do you keep a cell phone with you?
• Do your elderly parents or grandparents have an emergency call button used for calling help in case they fall and can not reach the phone for any reason?
• Do you maintain the walkways and traffic areas free of any extension cords and electrical wires?
• Have you installed grab bars near the tub and the toilet?

If you have checked off everything on this list, give yourself a pat on the back.
You have acknowledged all aspects of home alone security preparations.
Keep in mind that it is important that you constantly review this checklist with all your family members so that they are aware of your household policies.