The 3-4-4-3 schedule: Your child(ren) spend(s) 3 days with one parent, 4 days with the other parent, 4 days with the first parent and then 3 days with the other parent Therefore, we opt for joint custody as a way to keep both parents in meaningful relationship with the child. This custody schedule has the kids going back-and-forth between each of your homes throughout the week, spending a day or two at each parent’s house. All these plans should give you a good starting point. If the court deems both parents fit, and both parents have work schedules that allow them to spend an equal amount of time with their children, the court may approve a 50/50 joint custody agreement. 50/50 custody covers two areas. The software allows you to create a custody schedule in both written and calendar form. You may even find that it's one of the biggest custody conflicts you have over the course of the calendar year. The every extended weekend schedule, which has your child spend weekdays with one parent and a long weekend with the other parent. Joint custody arrangements can be exhausting, infuriating, and fraught with stress, especially if you have a contentious relationship with your ex-partner. Joint custody is not about you. A good co-parenting plan template should clearly include in detail, the visitation schedules, custody, and the agreed-upon financial obligations. While family law judges always consider the kids’ best interests, only you know what will work well for your family. ​, Custody can be physical, legal, or both. The courts recognize that no two families are exactly the same – and kids of various ages have different needs. It includes a proposed holiday schedule for many major holidays. "Divorce … Parenting Time Schedule A – Joint Physical Custody This is a sample parenting time schedule that parents who will share physical custody of their minor children can use. The advantage is that the children are always at one residence on Sundays through Tuesdays, and at the other residence on Wednesdays through Fridays. Use the following tips to argue your point effectively and reach a compromise you can both live with. Before you and your soon-to-be ex can create joint custody schedules that work for your whole family, the first thing you need to do is sit down and talk about it. All rights reserved, Home » How to Create Joint Custody Schedules (With Examples). While not providing exactly equal time, the care split under 60/40 is quite even. Legal custodyis the right and responsibility to make long-term decisions for a child’s well-being. Tips for Customizing Your Child Visitation Schedule . This works for equal custody, provided that you alternate weeks. The divorce was about you, but custody is about the kids. Joint legal custody gives both parents equal authority regarding major decisions about the child such as education, health care, and religion. Either or both parents need to make a joint custody agreement template with a person who isn’t the spouse. Like the 3-3-4-4 day rotation, this schedule allows the children to spend Sundays and Mondays in one residence, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the other. For many parents, it’s best to have the kids stay in one home during the week and visit with the other parent periodically. The children spend three days with Parent A, three days with Parent B, then four days with Parent A with this schedule, followed by another four days with Parent B. This schedule assumes that you and your ex have equal time with the kids. Toddler Joint Custody Schedule – 18 Months to 3 Years: If your child is a toddler, the following is information you should keep in mind when creating your joint custody schedule: With this schedule, the children alternate residences one day a week (usually on Fridays), but they enjoy one mid-week overnight with the other parent. The two parents have equal or reasonably equal amounts of time when they are responsible for the care of the child or children. With this custody schedule, the children reside with Parent A for two days, then with Parent B for two days, then spend a long three-day weekend with Parent A. 60/40 Custody Schedules and 2houses. Typical Christmas Schedules Examples Dividing the Break. You can tweak and adjust the schedules to meet your family's unique needs. Ⓒ 2021 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. Shared physical custody means a child lives part of the time with each parent, having more frequent and substantial contact with each parent than under a sole custody arrangement, in which one parent has primary physical custody and the other has occasional visitation. For example, the calendar app lets you put the custody schedule directly on to the calendar so that you can always see at a glance who the children will be with when. Finding a suitable routine for the entire family is a must when choosing a custody schedule. Jennifer Wolf is a PCI Certified Parent Coach and a strong advocate for single moms and dads. Whatever custody schedule you choose, remember to give everyone in your family time to adjust before making changes. In a joint legal custody situation, each parent will have equal say over the child’s upbringing, but there will be no joint custody schedule. In some states, like West Virginia, the judge strongly considers the wishes of the child after a certain age (in this state, it’s 14), but most states simply leave “the best wishes of the children” as the most important deciding factor. ; Anna Y. Maples, Stockton Family Law Attorney, Roma Mustafi, Certified Paralegal at Maples Family Law, How to Create Joint Custody Schedules (With Examples), What to Expect at San Joaquin County Superior Courthouse, Transportation to and from your homes and kids’ activities, What you’ll do during emergencies when changing the joint custody schedule is necessary. In a shared custody arrangement, the court will generally try to provide both parents with relatively equal rights and split visitation regarding the custody of their child or children.. Call us at (209) 989-4425 or get in touch with us online to talk to a lawyer who can help today. You know what’s best for your family, so it’s just a matter of putting it down on paper and reaching a parenting time agreement between yourselves. It's important to settle on a routine that works for everyone and takes several things into consideration, such as both parents' work schedules, your kids' school schedules, their extracurricular​​ activities, and even driving considerations if you live more than 30 miles apart. In contrast, more even custody schedules, such as 60/40 or 50/50, are usually referred to as joint physical custody or shared care. Making the plan formal by writing it into an official parenting plan might help everyone stick to the schedule and remember its finer details as well. North Carolina statutes don’t define the term “legal custody,… It might seem to your kids that it's time to leave again as soon as they settle in. Why Is a Holiday Child Custody Schedule Important? When parents share joint legal custody, they both have a say in major decisions regarding the child's life, such as education, religious upbringing, and ​medical care. If you’re like many parents going through divorce, you know that it’s best for your kids if you and your ex work out a child custody agreement between yourselves. A holiday schedule, sometimes called a “holiday visitation schedule,” allows parents and children to make plans. Maintain separate wardrobes, toys, and favorite electronics at each place to the extent possible. You need to do what’s best for your family, and if that’s not it, that’s okay. When parents have joint physical custody, their children spend roughly an equal amount of time living in each of their homes, although it doesn't necessarily have to be an exact 50/50 split. Then the next week it switches. If you and your ex can’t reach an agreement on your own, you may want to talk about divorce mediation. var google_conversion_label = "sZnVCJfok3EQtqzB0gM"; A party who has physical custody can make minor day-to-day decisions for the child. The only days that fluctuate from week to week are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 343 East Main Street, Suite 500Stockton, CA 95202 Shared custody, more commonly known as joint custody, is the case where custody of the child is awarded to both co-parents. It enables each parent to plan for their respective major and religious holidays. Telephone: (209) 910-9865, ©2020 Maples Family Law. Consider certain aspects, such as work schedules of both the parents, children’s school schedules, their extracurricular activities, and even the … 2-2-3-2-2-3 Parenting Schedule Another common 50 50 child custody schedule is a 2-2-3-2-2-3 schedule. In any discussion about child custody, it’s important to remember that there are actually two different types of custody. You can use Custody X Change to create your joint custody agreement and your joint custody visitation schedule. Joint Custody Schedule Example 5. This schedule is only a sample. This custody schedule example features one parent getting the kids on Friday and keeping them through Sunday, and visiting on Wednesday evenings. This custody schedule assumes that you have equal time with the kids, and that you’ll alternate every other week (so one week, Parent 2 has the kids for four days in a row; the next week, Parent 1 has the kids for four days in a row). You can alternate this schedule so both parents have the kids every other weekend or otherwise modify it to meet your needs, too. These six joint custody schedules provide for almost equal time for the kids with both parents. 60/40 parenting schedules are used when you have a joint custody arrangement. This custody schedule assumes that Parent 2 has more time with the kids, and you can alternate Wednesdays and every other weekend. In this instance, the 80/20 schedule can be … Divorced and separated parents have tossed these words around for years, but there's not one single schedule for or definition of the term. /* ]]> */ [CDATA[ */ This custody schedule example features one parent getting the kids on Friday and keeping them through Sunday, … The sample schedule shown here has that mid-week visit taking place on Tuesdays, but you can choose whatever day works best for your family. This works for equal custody, provided that you alternate weeks. Samples of Different Joint Custody Schedules. Sometimes parents may find themselves working extra hours, which leaves them unable to have much time with their children. Plus, it gives children security because they know where they’ll be during specific holidays. var google_conversion_id = 978343478; Child Support and Joint Custody. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. As with most joint physical custody schedules, this one requires that your children have fully functional bedrooms and living space in each of your homes. The next week, the routine flips and the children reside with Parent B for two days, then Parent A for two days, before spending a long three-day weekend with Parent B. Oftentimes, having a child custody attorney help draft an agreement that meets the needs of both parents and the child can prevent confusion and controversy later on by including all of the necessary language family courts want to see, along with personalized schedules and inclusions specific to the needs of your family. 50/50 Joint Custody. A further benefit of 50:50 custody is to boost the … Alternating Weeks One of the easiest schedules for parents who are sharing joint custody is to have alternating weeks. If you’re contemplating divorce, or if your spouse has already filed for divorce, you can work with a Stockton child custody attorney who understands what you (and your children) are going through – and who can help you develop joint custody schedules that works for your whole family. Moving to the other parent's home every few days can be disruptive. One parent will have primary physical custody and a visitation schedule will be set up. Maples Family Law Joint custody schedules are perfect for co-parents who wish to spend equal time with their kids by dividing their own schedules. 2. How Joint Custody Impacts a Child’s School Enrollment The goal of any child custody agreement is to arrange for parental visitation in a manner that is in the best interests of the child. When you share joint custody, holiday schedules can be a challenge. The children live at mom's house one week, then switch over to dad's house the next week with this schedule. This 50 50 child custody arrangement is more often seen in situations where the children are younger. var google_remarketing_only = false; You don't want your kids to feel like vagabonds, dragging their favorite stuff back and forth between your homes every week. This type of custody deals with the child’s physical location and who they are with at the given moment. These six joint custody schedules provide for almost equal time for the kids with both parents. And you'll all be spending a lot of time on the road if you and your ex live a considerable distance apart. Sometimes it’s helpful to see sample joint custody schedules – they can give you a springboard from which to create your own. Physical custodyinvolves looking after a child. Routine Conducive: 5. How this works is that each parent has a child from a Friday night through the following Friday … With this schedule the week day time is consistent between homes with only a few transitions throughout the month. You don’t have to face all of this alone. These tips will get you started, and then you can view a few examples below. Many parents opt to create a repeating schedule that does both. 80/20 Schedule. The 2-2-3 schedule has your child spend 2 days with one parent, 2 days with the other parent and 3 days with the first parent. This custody schedule has the kids going back-and-forth between each of your homes throughout the week, spending a day or two at each parent’s house. Shared custody is a specific type of child custody arrangement. Minimal Communication/Hand-Offs: 5. Shared Physical Custody. The 5-2 schedule, which has your child live with one parent for 5 days and the other parent for 2 days. The joint custody schedules that work best for babies are: a 2-2-3 schedule, an alternating every 2-day schedule, a 5-2 schedule, or an every 3 rd day schedule. Both co-parents are seen as custodial parents of the child. If you feel that a week is too long to go without seeing your … It’s always in your kids’ best interests for you and their other parent to come up with a schedule. Many families add a midweek evening visit to their alternating week's schedule, so the children never go a full week without seeing either parent. This routine is similar to the 3-3-4-4 schedule, but the children reside with Parent A for two days, then Parent B for two days, followed by five days with Parent A and five days with Parent B. Consider revisiting the plan every once in a while to make sure it continues to meet all of your needs. Joint custody is better for kids than having one parent vanish, and it is a rare parent who can stay close to a child who does not live with them at least some of the time. Co-parenting apps like 2houses can make it much easier to track and manage joint custody schedules. Schedules work well in securing the same amount of time the child has with each parent. Above all, allow your children a voice in the planning and discussion if they're old enough.​​. We’ve compiled a detailed review of 50/50 joint custody schedules. If the regular custody schedule was set up as a result of the other parent not particularly wanting or being capable of having more custodial time, consider limiting holiday schedules to dividing the holidays themselves. "We have joint custody." When parents have joint physical custody, their children spend roughly an equal amount of time living in each of their homes, although it doesn't necessarily have to be an exact 50/50 split. This allows the parents to have alternate weekends with the children. /*