latchkey meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

latchkey

noun

US /ˈlæt͡ʃˌki/

Etymology From latch + key.

A key, especially to an outside door.

Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of latchkey kid.

Abbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of latchkey program.

Latchkey is before and after school childcare for children who are in grades K-5.2025, East China School District:
Latchkey is a before and after school, school-aged child care program designed to provide quality care and program activities for children in grades K-5.2025, Challenger Elementary School:

2 more examples

Latchkey is an elementary school-age childcare program that provides care and education for children of working parents. This program is designed to be a link between the home and the school.2025, “Archived copy”, in Columbus City Schools, archived from the original on 10 Sep 2025:
There is NO Latchkey on days when the schools are closed, including emergency or snow days. There is no Latchkey in the mornings only on DELAYED start days.2025, Marlington Local Schools:

adj

Etymology From latch + key.

Equipped with a key; generally in the phrase latchkey kid.

Pertaining to unsupervised children in afterschool care contexts.

In fashionable Potomac, for instance, almost 50 percent of the nonparental care was latchkey.1985, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1986: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-ninth Congress, First Session, page 7:
Be available as a "safety net" for the parents, especially if both parents work and/or the child is latchkey.1994, Irene Endicott, Grandparenting by Grace: A Guide Through the Joys and Struggles, →ISBN:

1 more example

When coded, it was found that 224 children were latchkey or bordering on latchkey status.1994, Themba Sono, African Family and Marriage Under Stress:

verb

Etymology From latch + key.

To open something by means of a latchkey.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.