Martin Luther King Jr. Day Custody Calendar

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the third Monday in January, is a federal holiday honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Most public and private schools close in observance, so it should be included in your holiday visitation schedule.

Because the holiday is on a Monday, it creates a three-day weekend. Often, both parents want the extended weekend with the child, so it can be difficult to decide parenting time arrangements for MLK Day and other long weekends.

Creating a clear plan for each three-day weekend as part of your parenting plan and custody calendar helps ensure that each parent gets adequate holiday time.

MLK Day custody calendar options

Parents can agree to whatever MLK Day arrangements work best for their situation. For example, if the father has the day off work and the mother doesn't, parents can choose to give him the day.

Consider these other common Martin Luther King Jr. Day arrangements as you make your custody calendar.

Alternate yearly

Many parents alternate who has Martin Luther King Jr. Day each year. Your child might spend the three-day weekend (or just Monday) with you in even-numbered years and with the other parent in odd-numbered years.

Alternate three-day weekends

Parents can choose to alternate three-day weekends within a year. The rotation might stay the same every year or shift.

For example, one parent might have Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Memorial Day, while the other has Presidents Day and Labor Day.

Give the weekend parent an extra day

In this arrangement, the child spends Monday with the parent who has the preceding days.

Take a family who uses the alternating weekends schedule. If MLK Jr. Day falls immediately after the noncustodial parent's weekend, that parent gets the extra day.

Split the three-day weekend

You can agree to split the three-day weekend evenly or according to your standard division of parenting time (e.g., 70/30).

In this roughly equal division, one parent has the child from 8 a.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday. Then, the child stays with the other parent until 9 p.m. Monday.

Split Monday only

If you don't want to change your standard weekend schedule, you can split Monday only. The child spends Monday morning with the parent who has Sunday night, and spends Monday afternoon with the other parent.

Celebrate together

If parents can spend time together without conflict, they can celebrate the holiday together. For example, they might take their child to an educational event or participate in a community service project together.

Use the court's standard schedule

When parents can't agree on their parenting time schedule, the court decides in a custody hearing or trial. Many courts issue a standard visitation schedule that includes MLK Day.

For more information, see our guide to visitation in your location.

The easiest way to make a holiday visitation schedule

There's a lot to think about when you build a holiday schedule. You'll want it to address weekend and midweek holidays, reflect special occasions unique to your family (like birthdays) and work for years to come.

The Custody X Change app makes it easy. Just open your Custody X Change calendar and follow our steps to make a holiday schedule.

To make a custody schedule quickly and affordably, turn to Custody X Change. You'll get written and visual versions that meet your family's needs, as well as court standards.