A child custody schedule is part of a custody agreement.

It is important to make an effective custody schedule in your agreement so it works well for everyone. Creating a good custody schedule is important for having a working custody agreement. In order to make an effective schedule for custody, you must first know the different types of custody. Legal custody refers to the responsibility parents have to make important decisions on behalf of their child. Physical custody refers to actual physical time the parents spend with their child. Both types of custody can be split either solely or jointly.

So, what are the basic elements of a good child custody schedule?

1. Residential schedule – The residential or everyday schedule is also called the school schedule. This is the everyday schedule your child lives by. There are many different types of residential schedules depending on your custody arrangement. For joint custody, consider using:

A 3/3/4/4 schedule – This schedule allows both parents to share custody of the child for three days and then four days each week respectively.
A 2/2/5/5 schedule – This is similar to the 3/3/4/4 schedule. The parents share custody two days and then five days each week respectively.
A school schedule – This schedule allows the child to live with one parent during the regular school year and then the child lives with the other parent on school breaks and summer vacation time.

For sole custody, you may consider using a schedule like:

The non-custodial parent has visitation on weekends or every other weekend.
The non-custodial parent has visitation one or two nights during the week.

Whatever your custody arrangement, you can find a schedule that works for you, the other parent and your child.

2. Vacation and special event schedule – This schedule takes precedence over the regular schedule. It should include vacation times, school breaks and special events your child has or attends.

3. Holiday schedule – This schedule also takes precedence over the regular schedule. You should include a list of holidays and other special days your child celebrates.

4. Provisions – Your custody schedule needs provisions or additional guidelines to make it most effective. This may include right of first refusal, how transportation and exchanges are made, how your child’s expenses are divided and other information that is important to your custody arrangement.