Washington Visitation Schedule

Washington visitation schedules are so easy to
setup with the Custody X Change software!

Parents need to include a child visitation schedule in their custody agreement or parenting plan. A visitation schedule provides an outline for how parents will continue to care and provide for their children and also how they will continue to spend time with the children and develop relationships with them. A mother and father should take the necessary time and effort to develop a visitation schedule that meets their children's needs in all aspects of life. Here is some information to help Washington parents accomplish that task.

Creating a Child Visitation Schedule

The foundation of the child visitation schedule is the repeating cycle of custody. Parents must decide the daily schedule of where the child will live and when the child will be with each parent.

• In a sole physical custody situation, one parent has custody and the other parent has visitation.
• Some common repeating cycles for sole custody are custodial parents have the children during the week, and the non-custodial parent has them on the weekends; the non-custodial parent has the children alternating weekends; the non-custodial parent has the children alternating weekends and one weeknight, multiple weeknights, or overnight visit during the week.
• In a joint physical custody situation, the parents usually divide the time more evenly (although it doesn't have to be exactly equal).
• Some common joint visitation schedules include alternating weeks of custody; a 3/3/4/4 custody schedule; a 2/2/5/5 custody schedule; splitting the weeks in half; etc. Parents should make a custom visitation schedule that works the best for the children.

Once the repeating cycle has been created and applied to the calendar, the parents should decide on the holiday schedule.

• Parents can include national, school, and religious holidays along with special family days they normally celebrate.
• The mother and father should make a list of the holidays that will be in the schedule and divide them between the parents.
• Each parent should have equal holiday time with the children. This means that the mother and father each have the same number of bigger holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc) and a similar amount of total holiday time.
• For the holiday schedule, the parents need to decide how long the holidays last (for example, does Labor day mean just the day or the whole weekend?) and if they want to share any of the days.

Vacation time and special events can also be added to the child visitation schedule.

• A specified vacation is when the mother and father schedule the exact dates that each parent can take the children on vacation.
• An unspecified vacation is when the parents put a clause in the custody agreement that says the parents may take the children for up to a certain number of days during the year.
• Special events are times when the normal custody schedule changes. This could be a child's extra curricular or social events during the year.

Along with the actual schedule, parents can also include provisions in their custody agreement or parenting plan that impact the schedule.

• Provisions are rules that the parents agree to follow to help the schedule and custody agreement run more smoothly.
• Some example provisions include: information about transportation to and from visitation, how the parents will handle changes to the schedule, how the parents will handle child care issues, etc.
• The more detailed the provisions are about the schedule, the better it will work for the parents.

Washington Child Visitation Schedules

• The purpose of a Washington visitation schedule is to provide for the physical care of the child, maintain emotional stability for the child, provide for the changing needs of the child, and to protect the best interests of the child.
• Parents need to think about how their visitation schedule fulfills these requirements to ensure that it is in the best interest of the child.
• Parents are encouraged to work together to make a visitation schedule and parenting plan rather than relying on the courts.
• To facilitate this, parents need to add provisions that specify how they will make changes to the schedule and how they will resolve future disputes.
• If a mother and father simply cannot work together to make a schedule and plan, each one should create the best plan they can for the children. The parents will present their plans before a judge and the judge will determine what the schedule will be for the child.

How Custody X Change can Help

Custody X Change is software that allows parents to create a complete parenting plan or custody agreement. The visitation schedule is the bulk of an agreement, and the program makes it easy for parents to set up the perfect child visitation schedule.

• Follow the steps in the program and go through the process of creating the basic, repeating cycle, making the holiday schedule, adding in vacation time, and including special events.
• Add provisions that enhance the visitation schedule, like rules about how exchanges for visitation will be handled, how the parents will resolve disputes, how the parents will handle child care, etc..
• View the exact time-share percentage that each parent has with the children while setting up the schedule to make sure it is fair.
• Easily make changes to the calendar and add special events when the custody changes.
• Print the documents for the visitation schedule and custody agreement. The documents include a calendar of the schedule, a written report of the schedule, a timeshare percentage report, and your included provisions.
• Track the visitation schedule. Enter in the actual time of visitation, write notes about what happens during visitation, and print a report that shows the difference between scheduled and actual parenting time.
• Export the calendar and agreement information to Word, PDF, and Excel.
• Sync the visitation schedule to your Blackberry, iPhone, Palm/PDA, Outlook, Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, Windows Live, etc.

Custody X Change Helps Washington Parents

• Make a visitation schedule and custody agreement that provides for the child's physical care, provides for the child's changing needs, maintains the emotional stability of the child, helps the parents cooperate in raising the child, and protects the best interest of the child.
• View and compare different visitation schedules so you can customize your schedule to fit the exact needs of the situation.
• Add provisions about how to change the agreement, how the parents will cooperate, how the parents will resolve future disputes without the court, and anything else that enhances the schedule.
• Collaborate on a joint or shared visitation schedule and agreement that everyone supports and that is in the child's best interest.
• Prepare multiple sample schedules and agreements to bring to mediation, show your attorney, or show the other parent for ideas.
• Represent yourself in court and use the reports from the software to explain why the agreement is the best one for the child.
• Save money in legal fees by doing some or all of the work on your agreement.
• Pay or receive the right amount of child support because you use the timeshare percentage to calculate it.
• Track the actual parenting time schedule so you know what is going on and if the schedule is being followed.
• Journal about visitation, meetings with the other parent, or other custody matters.
• Modify the agreement so it meets the changing needs of your child.
• Have greater satisfaction with your custody situation because your agreement works for your family.

You can get a free thirty day trial of Custody X Change by entering your name and email at the top of the page. Join the others in Washington who have found the easy way to make the best child visitation schedule.

The top twenty cities in Washington (by population, US Census Bureau, 2008) are: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Spokane Valley, Federal Way, Yakima, Kent, Bellingham, Kennewick, Renton, Lakewood, Auburn, Pasco, Shoreline, Redmond, Kirkland, Richland.

Additional state visitation schedule articles you might want to consider:

• Arizona Child Visitation Schedule
• California Child Visitation Schedule
• Florida Child Visitation Schedule
• Georgia Child Visitation Schedule
• Illinois Child Visitation Schedule
• Massachusetts Child Visitation Schedule
• Michigan Child Visitation Schedule
• New Jersey Child Visitation Schedule
• New York Child Visitation Schedule
• North Carolina Child Visitation Schedule
• Ohio Child Visitation Schedule
• Pennsylvania Child Visitation Schedule
• Texas Child Visitation Schedule
• Virginia Child Visitation Schedule
• Washington Child Visitation Schedule

Two related articles (not state-specific): Child Visitation and Child Visitation Schedule.

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