This issue is a "judgment call" rather than a legal one. If it is a matter of a pre-teen or teenager caring for a child for a few hours, both sets of parents should use their own judgment as to the capability of the minor to handle various situations, such as an injury or illness or any emergency. Very few states have laws citing specific ages pertaining to child care or "latchkey" children and problems arise only when some unfortunate incident has occurred such as the child/children being cared for are injured or in some way neglected. In most legal arenas it is presumed a minor who is at least 14-years-old is capable of demonstrating reasonable care when it pertains to younger children.
8
13 is the legal age for a child to be left alone in the US
At what age can a child be left home alone?
There are no legal laws about the age a child may be left alone but a child who is left alone too young could leave the parent liable for negligence or child abuse. A general rule of thumb would be if the child can cook for him/herself or call emergency services.
21
12
12
13
There is currently not a law that specifies the age a child has to be to stay home alone overnight. It is left up to the parents to decide if their child is mature enough to handle it.
12
8
Around 16
There is no legal minimum age for a child to be left alone in Alberta.