As temperatures heat up this summer, Lake County Probation is encouraging parents to get a babysitter and not bring their kids — and do not, under any circumstances, leave them in a hot car during their appointments.

“We encourage people not to bring their children to court,” Probation Director Angela McFerrin said Wednesday. “Of course, we can’t babysit. It’s not an environment conducive to kids.”

A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

More than 1,010 children have died of heatstroke from being left or trapped in a hot car over the past 25 years, with 39 children dying of heatstroke in vehicles in 2024 — a 35% increase from 2023, according to noheatstroke.org.

Parents have the option to take their kids to a children’s room located right near probation at the Lake County Government Center, 2293 N. Main Street in Crown Point. It reopened recently on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

McFerrin said it was not a perfect solution — before the COVID-19 pandemic, the room was open every day.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I wish they would come back.”

If there’s a kid in the parking lot, they typically aren’t aware, she said.

“A lot of people bring them in,” she said.

In that case, they will reschedule the appointment.

“We don’t want to do that a lot,” McFerrin said, adding some people use it as a way to avoid their appointment or drug testing. “It’s their responsibility to find a sitter.”

Violent or sex offenders can be in the hallway, she said, so it’s not a place where a child should be left. A family member could watch the child on the benches outside or in the cafeteria inside the building.

If something last minute happens and they can’t find childcare, parents should bring the child inside and explain that to a probation officer.

“We understand that emergencies occur,” she said. “On a very very, very rare occasion, we’ll let them come sit inside the office and color.”

mcolias@post-trib.com