Parenting Plan

A Parenting Plan is a detailed written agreement that describes how separated or divorced parents will raise their children. More comprehensive than a basic custody agreement, it includes specific schedules for regular parenting time, holidays, school breaks, and summer vacations. The plan addresses decision-making responsibilities for education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities. It covers practical matters like transportation arrangements, communication between parents and with children, dispute resolution methods, and procedures for making schedule changes. A good parenting plan also addresses how parents will handle future issues like introducing children to new partners, relocation, and modifications as children grow. Courts often require parenting plans in custody cases, and they can be modified as children's needs and parents' circumstances change.