What is a parenting plan?
A parenting plan is a written agreement between separated parents. It says when the children are with each parent, how decisions about them are made, and how you will communicate and settle disagreements. A good plan is specific, fits the children's ages, and can change as they grow. It becomes binding when it is part of a separation agreement or a court order.
Key points
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A parenting plan covers parenting time, decision-making responsibility, communication, holidays, travel, moves and how you will settle future disputes.
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The AFCC-Ontario Parenting Plan Guide is a well-regarded Ontario resource. A task force of lawyers, mediators, mental health professionals and a representative of the Office of the Children's Lawyer wrote it.
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Schedules should match the children's ages and the history of care, not a fixed formula.
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A court includes the parents' plan in its order unless it is not in the children's best interests.
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Where there is family violence or high conflict, plans need more structure and less direct contact between parents.
Working out a parenting plan? Book a free 15-minute call about your parenting plan.
Is a parenting plan binding?
A parenting plan sets out, in writing, how you will share the care of your children after separation. The Divorce Act defines it as a document setting out decision-making responsibility, parenting time or contact. A court must include the parents' plan in its order, with any changes it considers appropriate, unless the plan is not in the children's best interests. Ontario's Children's Law Reform Act has a matching rule for parents outside a divorce case.
A plan you write together is not enforceable on its own. It becomes binding when it is:
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part of a separation agreement, in writing, signed by both parents and witnessed; or
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made into a court order, usually on consent.
Either way, the plan stays subject to the children's best interests. A court can change parenting terms later if circumstances change, whatever the plan says.
The AFCC-Ontario Parenting Plan Guide. The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Ontario Chapter, publishes a Parenting Plan Guide and a companion Template. The Guide draws on child development research to explain what tends to work for children at different ages. The Template gives sample clauses you can adapt. The current Guide dates from 2020. A revised edition was released for consultation in August 2026. It adds more on step-up plans, social media, non-standard work schedules, and caution where there is family violence or coercive control. This article follows the Guide's structure, in our own words.
What should a parenting plan include?
The Guide organizes a plan around the topics below. A useful plan answers each one specifically enough that you will not need to negotiate it again every week.
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Regular schedule. Which days and nights the children spend with each parent, and how exchanges work: who drives, where and at what time.
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Holidays and special days. Winter break, March Break, summer, long weekends, religious and cultural holidays, birthdays, and Mother's Day and Father's Day. Say which schedule wins when a holiday overlaps the regular one.
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Decision-making responsibility. Who makes major decisions about health, education, religion and significant activities: both of you jointly, one parent, or each parent for certain areas. Say what happens if you cannot agree.
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Day-to-day decisions and emergencies. Each parent decides routine matters during their own time. Say how you will tell each other about emergencies.
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Communication. How you share information, such as a shared calendar, a co-parenting app or email, and how quickly you reply. No messages through the children.
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Information about the children. Each parent's right to get school, medical and activity information directly.
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Activities and expenses. How new activities are agreed and how costs are shared, often linked to special expenses in the child support terms. See Section 7 expenses in Ontario.
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Travel and passports. Notice for trips, consent letters for travel abroad, and who holds the passports. See Travelling abroad with your child.
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Moves. Notice of a change of residence, and the legal notice for a relocation. See Moving with your child after separation.
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New partners and other adults. When a new partner meets the children, and whether a parent gets the first chance to care for the children before a babysitter (a "right of first refusal").
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Technology. Phone and video contact with the other parent, screens and social media.
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Resolving disagreements. Mediation or another step before court, and a date to review the plan as the children grow.
You do not need every clause in the Template. Use the ones that fit your family, and add detail where you already disagree.
What schedule works for my child's age?
The Guide does not prescribe one schedule. It sets out options for each stage, depending on how involved each parent was before separation and how well you communicate. In summary:
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Infants, up to about 9 months. Continuity with the main caregiver, and frequent, short time with the other parent that grows over time. Overnights with the other parent start once they are an active caregiver.
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Babies, about 9 to 18 months. Stability, the baby's temperament and the history of care matter most, and the baby should not be away from either parent for too long. Options range from a main home with frequent contact to shared care, where both parents were closely involved.
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Toddlers, about 18 to 36 months. Short separations from each parent. Typical plans are a main home with midweek and some overnight time, or a step-up plan that starts with daytime visits.
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Preschoolers, 3 to 5. Predictable routines. Step-up plans are common. A shared 2-2-3 schedule can work where both parents were equally involved and communicate well.
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Early school age, 6 to 9. Consistency for school and activities. Shared schedules such as 2-2-3 or 5-5-2-2 are options, or a home base for some children.
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Later school age, 10 to 12. The child has a voice, but not the final decision. Alternating weeks, 5-5-2-2 or a home base are common.
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Teenagers, 13 to 18. More input from the teen, and flexibility for school, work and friends. Alternating weeks, or a home base with alternating weekends.
The Guide's central point is that warmth and involvement matter more than an exact split of hours. Shared schedules work best when parents keep conflict away from the children. Where one parent has had little involvement, the Guide recommends a step-up plan. It has clear stages, signs you can observe that the child is ready for the next stage, and a way to step back if a stage is not working.
Equal time is not the starting point under Ontario law. Courts decide parenting time in each child's best interests. The Divorce Act says a child should have as much time with each parent as is consistent with those interests.
Clauses parents often forget
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Long weekends and PA days. Say whether a Friday or Monday holiday goes with the weekend parent, so one parent does not end up with three weekends in a row.
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Holiday overlap. State which schedule wins when a holiday falls on the other parent's regular time.
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Transportation and late arrivals. Who drives, how long to wait, and what happens if one parent is late.
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Illness. Whether a sick child still moves between homes.
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Personal items. Whether clothes, devices, medication and school supplies travel with the child, or each home keeps its own.
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Introducing new partners. A minimum period, or notice, before a new partner meets the children or stays overnight.
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Review. A date to review the plan, for example when the youngest starts school or turns 12.
Parenting plans where there is conflict or family violence
The Guide's approach assumes parents who can cooperate. It warns that cooperation and jointly made arrangements may be inappropriate or unsafe where there is family violence or coercive control. Substantially equal time may not suit those families. The Divorce Act and the Children's Law Reform Act both require courts to consider family violence when deciding what is in a child's best interests.
In high-conflict cases, a plan usually reduces contact between the parents rather than relying on cooperation:
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exchanges at school, daycare or a supervised exchange centre, so the parents do not meet;
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communication only in writing, through a co-parenting app, limited to the children;
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each parent deciding day-to-day matters in their own home ("parallel parenting"), with major decisions divided by area;
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supervised parenting time where safety requires it; and
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no step-up plan until safety concerns are addressed.
If you have safety concerns, get legal advice before negotiating a plan. See Parenting after separation in Ontario for how family violence affects parenting decisions.
If you are in danger, call 911. The Assaulted Women's Helpline offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day at 1-866-863-0511, or 416-863-0511 in the GTA (Government of Ontario).
Talk to a family lawyer about your parenting plan
Start with a free 15-minute call to talk through your situation and the next step. From there, we can help you build a plan, put it into a separation agreement, or review a plan you drafted yourselves.
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A free 15-minute phone call to talk through your situation and the next step
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Separation Agreement from $1,499 plus HST, including your parenting plan
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Independent Legal Advice on an agreement the other parent's lawyer prepared: $699 plus HST
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Later meetings by phone, by video or in person at 5200 Yonge Street, Suite 200, North York
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Urgent or out-of-hours: leave a voicemail or send a text to 416-858-1320. If you are in danger, call 911
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Legal Aid Ontario certificates accepted
Book a free 15-minute call about your parenting plan · Call 416-858-1320
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Last reviewed: November 1, 2026
This page is general information about Ontario and federal law, not legal advice. Reading it or contacting us does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Laws and court fees change; check the date above.