Parenting Plan

Drafts an enforceable parenting plan tailored to jurisdiction requirements, party circumstances, and the child's best interests.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

1. Jurisdiction — filing state (controls terminology, presumptions, required forms)
2. Parties — full legal names, addresses, children's names/DOBs
3. Case info — court, case number, related proceedings
4. Existing orders — prior custody/temporary orders, mediation recommendations
5. Preferences — desired arrangement, work schedules, geographic constraints
6. Financials — income data, insurance coverage, existing support orders

Quick Start

1. Confirm jurisdiction → research state statutes, terminology, and model plan forms
2. Collect party information and existing orders
3. Draft custody framework (legal + physical) using state-preferred terms
4. Build detailed parenting time schedule with specific days/times/locations
5. Allocate decision-making authority by category
6. Add financial, relocation, travel, and dispute resolution provisions
7. Include execution blocks with jurisdiction-specific requirements

Plan Sections

1. Parties and Case Information

Include parents (names, addresses), children (names, DOBs), court details, and any jurisdiction-required identifiers (DL numbers, partial SSNs).

2. Custody Framework

Draft legal custody and physical custody separately:

• Legal custody — joint or sole; if joint, specify categories requiring mutual agreement vs. independent decision and tie-breaking mechanisms
• Physical custody — primary or joint; designate primary residential parent if applicable
• Research state presumptions (many presume joint legal custody)
• Use jurisdiction's preferred terminology ("parenting time," "time-sharing," "custody," "residential schedule")

3. Parenting Time Schedule

Address each with specific days, times, and locations:

| Category | Specify | |---|---| | Regular weekly | Days/overnights with each parent | | Weekends | Alternating pattern, pickup/return times | | Midweek visits | Day, pickup/dropoff times | | Summer | Division method, notice requirements | | School breaks | Fall, winter, spring — alternating by year | | Holidays | Two-year rotation (A/B alternating pattern) | | Birthdays | Child's, each parent's, Mother's/Father's Day | | Special days | Cultural/religious observances |

Holiday rotation: Create an even-year/odd-year table covering major holidays (New Year's, MLK, Presidents' Day, Spring Break, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Winter Break 1st/2nd half).

Exchange logistics: Specify location (school, residence, neutral site), transportation responsibility, and late pickup/no-show protocol.

4. Decision-Making Allocation

| Category | Subcategories | Authority | |---|---|---| | Education | School selection, special ed, tutoring, extracurriculars | Joint / Sole | | Healthcare | Routine, emergency, mental health, dental, vision | Joint / Sole | | Religious | Upbringing, participation, ceremonies | Joint / Sole | | Extracurriculars | Sports, arts, camps | Joint / Sole |

Include consultation timeline for major decisions (e.g., 30 days' written notice), emergency unilateral action definition, and escalation path before court.

5. Communication Protocols

• Parent-child contact — phone/video schedule when with other parent; age-appropriate tech guidelines
• Record access — both parents' rights to school/medical records (cite FERPA for education)
• Co-parent communication — method (email, co-parenting app), response times (routine: 48 hrs; urgent: 24 hrs; emergency: immediate)

6. Financial Provisions

• Child support — reference state guidelines; specify payor, amount, frequency, payment method
• Shared expenses — allocation table covering uncovered medical/dental, insurance premiums, childcare, school expenses, extracurricular fees with split ratios and reimbursement deadlines (typically 30 days)
• Documentation — requirements for reimbursement requests

7. Relocation Provisions

• Notice — state-mandated period (typically 30–90 days) and distance threshold
• Contents — new address, move date, proposed revised schedule, reason
• Objection — timeline and method for non-moving parent
• Burden of proof — applicable standard (varies by state)

8. Travel

• Advance notice for out-of-state travel (typically 14–30 days)
• Itinerary and contact sharing requirements
• Passport possession and international travel consent
• If abduction risk: UCCJEA references [VERIFY], ne exeat provisions, passport surrender

9. Dispute Resolution

Mandatory escalation sequence:

1. Good-faith negotiation (14 days)
2. Mediation — selection process, cost split, timeline
3. Parenting coordinator (if jurisdiction recognizes)
4. Court petition — emergencies or ADR exhaustion only

10. Modification and Review

• Standard: substantial change in circumstances affecting child's best interests
• Optional: scheduled review at developmental milestones (school entry, adolescence)
• All modifications must follow state filing requirements

11. Execution and Filing

• Signature blocks for both parents with dates
• Jurisdiction-specific requirements: notarization, witnesses, attorney certification
• Effective date clause; "subject to court approval" if required
• Attach mandatory state cover sheets, certifications, or declarations

Pitfalls

• Vague language kills enforceability — use specific dates, times, deadlines; never "reasonable time"
• Jurisdiction mismatch — always research filing state statutes and terminology before drafting; many states publish model plans
• Generic boilerplate — incorporate actual party facts (work schedules, geography, prior arrangements)
• Age-inappropriate schedules — infant/toddler plans differ significantly from adolescent plans; adjust for developmental stage
• Advocacy tone — draft as bilateral agreement, not adversarial; avoid characterizing either parent
• FRE 408 — if part of settlement negotiations, include confidentiality language
• Unverified citations — mark any unconfirmed statutory reference with [VERIFY]