Schools will soon be letting out, which is great for the children. For parents who have a child custody order, this might be a difficult time. You need to start thinking about what you will do during the upcoming school-less months. Even if you think that you have plenty of time, remember that there are plenty of parents who will also try to make the same plans.
One of the most important things that you can do is to determine what type of child care you need. If your kids are teens who can stay home alone, you might not need to make these plans. Younger children will need a family member, babysitter or daycare to watch over them when you aren’t able to, such as when you are working.
If you aren’t going to have the children all summer, you need to ensure that you do have coverage when they will be with you. Reviewing the schedule for these months can help you do this.
While you have the schedule out, you might also want to make plans for a vacation. This also takes special planning since your ex might be planning one too. In some parenting plans, there are geographical restrictions that can limit the places you might travel to. Be sure to follow those or to have the court approve your travel plans.
You can also think about how you will prevent summer learning loss, which occurs when children go months without going to school. Plan for things as simple as reading interesting educational books or learning about special topics over the summer.