Appendix B Rev. 7/1/07 GUIDELINES ON PARENTING TIME IN HURON COUNTY DOMESTIC RELATIONS CASES 1. GENERAL GUIDELINES REGARDING PARENTING TIME AND COMPANIONSHIP A. Parenting time may take place at any times and places that the parents may agree. B. Parenting time does not include picking up the children and leaving them with someone else while the visiting parent pursues their own recreation which excludes the children; children should not be taken into bars for an extended period of time and neither parent shall consume alcohol to excess during custody or parenting time. Violations shall be deemed to be cause for curtailment of parenting time and/or change of custody and/or subjecting the offending parent to contempt. C. In the event that the parents are unable to reach an agreement regarding transportation, the non-residential parent shall provide transportation at the commencement of the parenting time period and the residential parent shall provide transportation at the termination of the period. D. The non-residential parent shall be prompt in arriving to pick-up the children for the beginning of the parenting time period. The children, or the residential parent, have no duty to await the visiting parent for more than thirty (30) minutes after the visitation time. A parent more than thirty (30) minutes late shall forfeit that parenting time period. Exceptions shall be made if and only if the tardiness of the non-residential parent is for just cause and the residential parent receives both prompt notification and a reasonable estimated arrival time. E. The residential parent shall send with the children on parenting time, sufficient clothing and outerwear appropriate to the season to last the period of the visitation. Continued violations of this requirement shall be subject to contempt. F. If a child is ill, the residential parent shall give twenty-four (24) hours notice, if possible. The non-residential parent shall give twenty-four (24) hours notice to cancel. The time canceled by the nonresidential parent is forfeited unless re-scheduled by agreement of the parents; the time canceled by the residential parent may be made up on the option of the non-residential parent at the earliest opportunity. G. The non-residential parent shall have frequent and on going telephone, regular mail or e-mail contact with the child(ren). The non-residential parent shall utilize this time in a reasonable fashion. The policy of the following time allocations is to provide a schedule which is best suited for the particular age of a child. When a family has children in more than one age group, the parents may adapt the schedule to fit the needs of each child. When parents are not in agreement and children are in different age groups the following guidelines should be observed if no harm would occur to the children: a.) if the children are in two age groups, the guidelines for the older group should apply, b.) if the children are in three or more age groups, the guidelines for the middle group should apply. 2. WEEKLY SCHEDULE Basic Principles/Infants and Preschoolers American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com i. Particularly with very young children, the more frequently the non-residential parent sees the child(ren) the more appropriate it is to have longer periods of time with the nonresidential parent. ii. If the non-residential parent has not had regular contact with the child, short periods of parenting time must precede extended periods. iii. With children over the age of nine (9) months and particularly with children in the preschool years, more overnight time may be appropriate subject to the circumstances of each family. The non-residential parent shall have parenting time as follows: A. Infants to Nine (9) months: Two (2) hours three times weekly; the times of which will be set to accommodate both parents’ work schedules. If the parties cannot agree, parenting time shall be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. B. Preschoolers: Frequent short visits per agreement or, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; the times of which may be altered to accommodate the parties work schedules. One day every weekend alternating Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. on the preceding day to 6:00 p.m. on the day of parenting time. Basic Principles/Elementary School-aged Children i. Elementary and school-aged children can adapt to longer periods of separation from their principal caretakers than younger children can. ii. The needs of the 5-12 year old child with regard to school schedules, homework and extra-curricular activities must be respected. ii. Adjusting to and moving back and forth between two households increases the complexity of life in a divorce situation. It may, therefore, be necessary to simplify other aspects of the child’s life, e.g. by reducing the number of outside activities. The non-residential parent shall have parenting time as follows: C. Elementary School-aged Children: Alternating weekends from Friday evenings at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday at 6:00 p.m.; 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. visitations once a week during the week provided that meals are provided for or American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com accommodated and the parents reside in the same or adjoining counties; if unable to agree, the weekday shall be on Wednesday. Basic Principles/Teenagers i. Parents should respect teenagers’ need to spend time with peers and in organized activities and less time with each parent especially during weekends and summer holidays. ii. Quality of time is more important than a rigid schedule. Flexibility in scheduling is necessary. When possible, it is preferable to consider the teenager’s wishes as long as the parents agree. The non-residential parent shall have parenting time as follows: D. Teenagers: One (1) evening per week from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. if the parents reside in the same or adjoining counties, and subject to the child’s scholastic and extracurricular activities, if the parents cannot agree on the weekday evening, it shall be Wednesday; alternating weekends from Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. 3. HOLIDAY SCHEDULE AND EXTENDED TIME A. Parents may wish to change by agreement a holiday at least one week in advance in order to observe a family or religious tradition. If not changed by agreement holiday times, where relevant, shall be as follows: EVEN NUMBERED YEARS RESIDENTIAL PARENT Memorial Day Weekend: Friday Night 6:00 p.m. to NON-RESIDENTIAL PARENT Easter: Thursday Night 6:00 p.m. Monday Night p.m. Sunday night 6:00 p.m. 6:00 to Friday Night 6:00 p.m. to Fourth of July: 6:00 p.m. the Monday night 6:00 p.m. Weekend: night before the 4th until 12 noon the day after the 4th except when the 4th falls on a Sat., Sun. or Thanksgiving Day: Wednesday night 6:00 p.m. to Friday night 6:00 p.m. Mon. when visitation shall Christmas Eve 12 noon to Christmas: Labor Day American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com commence Fri. night 6:00 p.m. Christmas Day 12 noon From 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Child’s Birthday: (If not a school day; otherwise, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) a continue to 12 noon the day after the 4th. Christmas Vacation and New Years Day: Christmas Day at 12:00 noon until 6:00 p.m. New Years’ Day. Mother’s Day & Father’s Day: No matter whose turn for parenting time, the child(ren) will be with the appropriate parent on those days from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The above schedule shall be reversed as to the residential and non-residential parent in odd numbered years. B. For children under the age of two (2) years, holiday parenting time shall be from 6:00 p.m. the day before the holiday to 6:00 p.m. on the actual holiday. For children under the age of nine (9) months, holiday parenting time shall be from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the actual holiday. C. When a child reaches the age of two, the non-residential parent shall be entitled to four (4) weeks of additional time each year. After the age of five (5), two of those four weeks may be taken consecutively. This time may be exercised during the summer, the child (ren)’s spring break from school (every other year) or at any other appropriate time during the year that does not interfere with the child’s school calendar. For children ages two (2) to five (5), said four (4) week extended time may be taken in one week increments. Under the age of two (2) there will be no extended periods. D. The residential parent also shall be entitled to two (2) weeks of consecutive time each year. E. Extended periods of time are to be arranged within seven (7) days from the time the parents’ vacation schedules are posted by their employers. Each parent shall notify the other parent in writing of the times desired for these extended periods no later than thirty (30) days prior to the exercise of extended period. Where there is a conflict between the parents as to vacation schedules, the schedule of the parent who first gives written notice to the other parent shall prevail. F. In the event of a conflict, the following is the order of precedence: 1st) Holidays; 2nd) Extended Periods; 3rd) Weekends; and 4th) Midweek days. Appendix B rev. 7/1/07 American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com