Making a Pennsylvania Visitation Schedule

No matter where you live, if you are a divorced or separated parent, you need to include a visitation schedule in your custody agreement or parenting plan. A child visitation schedule provides an outline for how parents will continue to provide and care for their child, and also how they will continue to spend time with their child and develop that relationship. Parents should take the necessary effort and time to create a visitation schedule that meets the needs of their child.

If you live in Pennsylvania, you need to know the guidelines of how to make a visitation schedule that will be accepted by the court. The base of a visitation schedule is a repeating cycle of custody. Together, parents must decide their child's daily schedule. Here are a few different types of custody cycles that can be included in a visitation schedule:

• Sole physical custody - One parent has custody and the other parent has rights for visitation. Some common repeating sole custody cycles are that the custodial parent has the child during the week and the non-custodial parent has the child on the weekends; the non-custodial parent has the child on alternating weekends; the non-custodial parent has the child on alternating weekends and one night during the week, multiple weeknights or on an overnight visit during the week.

• Joint physical custody – Both parents usually divide the time more evenly, though it does not have to be equal. Some common joint custody visitation schedules include alternating weeks of custody; a 3/3/4/4 or 2/2/5/5 custody schedule; or splitting each week in half.

Once the regular or repeating cycle has been created, a schedule for holidays should be made. Here are some guidelines for creating a holiday schedule:

• Parents may include school, religious and national holidays along with special family days that are normally celebrated.

• Parents should make a list of all holidays that will be part of the schedule and divide them.

• Each parent should have equal holiday time with their child.

• Parents need to decide how long each holiday will last. For example, Labor Day may include the entire weekend or just the day.

Vacations and special events can also be added to your visitation schedule to show variations in the regular, everyday schedule. You should also add provisions to make the schedule work more effectively.

When a Pennsylvania court reviews a visitation schedule, they consider the following as they pertain to the child's best interests:

• The parents' characters

• The child's current living situation

• Each parent's parenting abilities

Parents are encouraged to work together and cooperate to work out a Pennsylvania visitation schedule that works for everyone involved. If parents cannot reach an agreement, they will need to present their case in court. Both parents should prepare a visitation schedule to show the judge. Either parent's schedule may be accepted or the judge can make a new one and the parents must follow what the judge decides.

You can make a great Pennsylvania visitation schedule that works for everyone involved and is in the best interests of your child. Work together with the other parent as much as possible and do your best to share parenting responsibilities.