What is a parenting plan?
A parenting plan is a legal document that clearly describes how the parents will divide custody of shared children after a divorce. All couples who have a child together must create a detailed parenting plan that governs custody arrangements until the child comes of age. ![Rhode Island Divorce & Child Custody Attorney Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum](https://dss.fosterwebmarketing.com/upload/843/Parent-plan.jpeg)
What to Include in Your Parenting Plan
Parenting plans focus on much more than just questions of joint custody and sole custody. Instead, they create a framework for co-parenting and for solving child-related problems together after divorce. These plans usually include provisions for physical custody as well as legal custody and must be structured in a way that is in the best interests of the child.
A parenting plan should provide a clear guide to:
- Which days and the length of time the child will spend with each parent every year
- How summer and winter holidays will be spent with each parent / grandparent (including travel times, and who is responsible for transport)
- Dates and times of child pick-up and drop-off (and which parent is responsible for transport)
- Visitation schedules for parents and extended family members without custody
- Extracurricular activities for each child, and who will pay these costs
- Observance or preservation of the family’s (or child’s) religious beliefs
- Protocol for handling any cancellations or postponements of custody
- Protocol for traveling out of state with the child
- Who will make decisions regarding the child’s upbringing, education, health, and social issues
- Instructions for a child’s special medical or educational needs
- How the child will be disciplined or rewarded for their behavior
- How the parties will work out disagreements about the child
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