Tips for Time-Sharing During the School Year

Trying to balance a child’s physical and emotional needs is always an uphill battle. Attempting to keep a handle on their social and academic needs during the school year, however, adds an extra layer to an already complex endeavor. This is especially true for recently divorced parents, who are still learning how to co-parent effectively. Fortunately, there are steps that parents can take to help give their children the best possible chance of having a successful school year.

Keep a Copy of Your Child’s School Calendar

 Whether trying to remember the date of a PTA meeting or a parent/teacher conference, signing up to chaperone a field trip, or taking note of a child’s school play, keeping track of a child’s busy school-year schedule can be difficult. To help ensure that both you and your child’s co-parent stay in the loop when it comes to the important dates, we recommend saving a copy of the school calendar for the entire academic year. On this calendar you can save the date of meetings with your child’s teacher, class field trips, vacations, and off-campus activities.

Figure Out Transportation 

Whether your child walks, is driven, carpools, or takes the bus to school, you should have a good grasp on how he or she gets to and from school every day. If you are responsible for pick-up on certain days, be sure that you and your co-parents are both aware of which days those are. If your child uses the bus, you’ll want to have a clear picture of who will be home to greet the child. If your child is involved in extracurricular activities you’ll also want to have a detailed plan in place for how you will share transportation responsibilities with your co-parent.

Update Your Emergency Contact Information With the School 

The start of the school year is also a good time to reach out to your child’s school office staff and make sure that the emergency contact information they have on file, not only for you, but also for your co-parent, is accurate. And don’t forget to double check the names and contact information of any others who you may have authorized to be emergency contacts.

Go Over Your Child’s School Supplies 

If you and your child’s co-parent share custody during the school year, you’ll also want to make sure that your child has all of the supplies necessary for a successful academic year. This could include everything from textbooks and school uniforms to backpacks and study aids. If your child has a hard time remembering which supplies to bring when traveling between households, consider purchasing two of the most important supplies, so that your child is able to do homework and study at either home.

Monitor Your Child’s Performance

 Parents who share custody should keep a close eye on their child’s academic performance. Using a school district’s digital platform, for instance, is a great way to help parents track their child’s grades, assignments, and upcoming projects. By staying up-to-date on grades and assignments, you can ensure that you are able to step in and offer additional support when necessary.

Here to Help With Your Back-to-School Custody Questions 

If you share custody of your children and have questions about how your rights and obligations may change during the school year, please call the experienced Clearwater child custody lawyers at Cairns Law for advice.

Sources:

 forbes.com/sites/frawleypollock/2020/10/20/co-navigating-back-to-school-plans-with-your-ex-spouse/

jud10.flcourts.org/sites/default/files/docs/ProSe/Timesharing_Schedule_Examples.pdf