How do I set up a parenting schedule?

The Calendar feature in OurFamilyWizard helps you and your co-parent stay aligned by providing a shared view of parenting time, schedules, and important events. Setup up your parenting schedule is one of the first steps to using the Calendar effectively and helps ensure your recurring parenting time is clearly documented for both parents. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to use the Parenting  Schedule Builder to create your parenting schedule, including selecting a schedule type, assigning children, setting start and end dates, and adjusting details like transition times so your calendar accurately reflects your parenting agreement. 

Creating a Parenting Schedule

You can create a Parenting Schedule in the mobile app or on the website. 

1. Click Calendar
   • On the website: In the menu on the left side of the Calendar, click Parenting Schedule.
   • On the mobile app: Tap the menu icon (three lines). In the menu on the left side of the Calendar, tap Parenting Schedule
2. Add a Schedule
   • On the website: Click the Create icon (a grey calendar) near the top of the page to create a new schedule
   • On the mobile app: Click the Add Item icon (blue circle with a + symbol) at the bottom-right corner of your screen to create a new schedule.
3. Choose your rotation
   • A rotation signifies the basic pattern of your parenting schedule. Choose from the list of common rotations or select Custom to build a parenting schedule rotation from scratch. Many parenting schedules are built off of the common rotations available in this list. 
4. In the New Schedule window, enter the schedule name date range for your schedule.
   • Your Start Date must be at least 24-hours from the current date.
   • Your End Date will be when this schedule will no longer repeat itself (i.e., one year from now, end of school year, etc.)
     • The End Date date must be after the Start Date date plus the length of your selected interval. For example, if the Start Date is January 1st and you are using a 2-week interval, your End Date must be January 14th or later.
5. Select Children
   • Select the children to whom this schedule pertains. You must assign your schedule to at least one child.
6. Confirm Interval and Rotation
   • Confirm that the selected Interval and Rotation are correct. If you need to change one of these selections, click into either field to make the change.
     • Interval signifies how often your parenting schedule rotation repeats itself.
     • The rotation signifies the basic pattern of your parenting plan.
7. Build out the specifics of your schedule
   • The color-coded schedule will be auto-filled based on the Interval and Rotation you select. Each color represents either your or your co-parent’s parenting time, specifically the parent who will have the children overnight on each date included your schedule.
     • Here are the details you can customize:
       • Swap Parenting Days: Toggle this switch to flip the rotation in the color-coded schedule.
       • Change the parent assigned to a specific day: Below the color-coded schedule, look to the right of each day to review the initials of the parent that is assigned to have parenting time on that day in your schedule.
       • Add Transition Times: One transition time can be set for any day on which your child will spend the night with the other parent. You must select a transition time on each date eligible for one.
8. Click Add Transition Time
   • Select the time that the parenting time switch will occur on that day of your schedule. Save your selection.
     • Click Apply Once to save this as the transition time for this day only.
     • Click Apply To All Remaining to set this as the transition time on each date of your schedule when a parenting time transition will take place.
9. Click Save
   • Your new schedule will be included in your list of Active schedules.
   • To view the schedule on your calendar, click the main navigation menu and select Calendar. It will be visible through the colors on each date square over the dates for which it was assigned.

Editing, Ending, or Deleting a Parenting Schedule

Either parent can edit, end, or delete any existing parenting schedule with upcoming dates. For one-time parenting time modification requests, please see: How do I create a schedule change request?

Need Help?

Review frequently asked questions and watch more Calendar Tutorials here.

If you have trouble creating your parenting schedule, contact us here or chat with our team live. We're happy to help!