Back-to-School Tips for Co-Parenting Families

In Illinois, if your co-parent is legally recognized as a parent, most of the time they have a right to the child’s school information. (A law recognizes a parent if they are on the birth certificate or if there is a court order.) The exception is if it would endanger the child or parent to allow the other parent to have the information. Make life easier for everyone and remember to list their name and contact info on the school registration forms.

Every family does things differently. If your co-parent has the child during the school week and is expected to provide care when the child is ill, find out who they want to list as people to call in case the child needs to be picked up from school and the parent is not available.

Most schools have sites that allow parents to log in to see their child’s grades and other information. When both parents have their own log in credentials, this gives everyone the opportunity to get the information they need. Both parents have the tools to help the child succeed in school.

Now that you are co-parents, instead of a couple, consider treating your co-parenting as a business venture. Both of you have an interest in having your children do well. Both of you need to work to make that happen. Hold a regular meeting to discuss how things are going, even if it is once a year. A meeting allows for good communication and innovative solutions. You may want to include the kids depending on their ages and temperaments. Now more than ever parents need to work together to come up with solutions for after-school care or all-day care for schools that are distance learning.

Even if you are not the parent filling out the school forms, be active in your child’s education. Most schools post calendars on their websites. Most teachers offer separate parent-teacher conferences if you are not ready to be in the same conference with the other parent. Call the school and get the information you need. Send an email to your child’s teacher.

Using these back-to-school tips now will save time and stress later. Here’s to a happy new school year!

Anxious about going back to school? Check out Liza’s post about self-care for anxious times.

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