Self care is one of the options for parents in need of after school care for their
children. In certain studies self care is seen as detrimental to development and
academic performance, but in other studies children do fairly well notwithstanding
their latchkey situation — self care could teach young people a sense of personal
responsibility and self reliance. In this article we emphasise the negative influence
of self care, especially for primary school children. The after-school hours alone at
home can be very risky for children living in low income, dangerous, or disadvantaged
environments. Children being left alone for more than three hours often
present with low self esteem, low academic efficacy and high levels of depression.
They are often not well adjusted and sometimes present with behavioural problems.
Educators have expressed concern about the academic adjustment and achievement
of self-care children. In this study we looked at the influence of a latchkey situation
on children’s relationships with parents and educators in connection with
educational success. A qualitative research design was used with three cases of
latchkey children, where parents, children, and their educators were interviewed.

doi: 10.15700/saje.v31n3a540