Sending Your Child to College in
Another City: A Parent's Safety Checklist
Move-in day is emotional enough without also worrying whether you've covered the basics. Here's everything worth setting up before your child leaves — most of it takes one afternoon.
Last updated: July 2026 · 7 min read
Before They Leave
Set up a family circle together
Install Raksha on both phones and connect before move-in day — doing it together, at home, means no scrambling to explain it over a call later.
Mark the hostel, campus, and station as safe zones
Set up place alerts for the hostel and main campus gate so you get an automatic notification once they're settled — and again every time they arrive after that.
Save local emergency numbers
College security, the nearest hospital, and local police station — save these in both your phones, not just your child's.
Note the IMEI of their phone
Dial *#06# and save the IMEI somewhere both of you can access — essential if the phone is ever lost or stolen on campus.
Agree on a realistic check-in rhythm
Arrival alerts handle the daily "did you reach" worry — agree separately on a weekly call or message for an actual catch-up, so it doesn't feel like constant monitoring.
Phone and Money Basics
Set a strong lock screen PIN or fingerprint and a short auto-lock timeout
Enable Google Find My Device alongside Raksha as a backup recovery option
Set up UPI on their phone with app-level lock enabled, separate from the phone's screen lock
Back up contacts and photos to Google so nothing is lost if the phone is ever misplaced
Add local emergency contacts to the phone's lock-screen emergency info, in case someone other than your child needs to reach you
The Conversation That Matters Most
None of this replaces an honest conversation before they leave: what's shared, why, and that it goes both ways. Most students are comfortable with a family circle when it's framed as mutual peace of mind rather than a way to check up on them — especially once they realize it means fewer calls asking "did you reach," not more.