Course outline
Co-Parenting
Built for separated and divorced parents — communication, custody transitions, keeping kids out of the middle, and building a working partnership with your co-parent.
This course comes in lengths from 1 to 24 hours, so you can pick exactly what you need. If you're here because a length was required by court, an employer, or another program, just match that length on the pricing page — the content is the same either way, just more or less of it. Whichever length you choose, every course comes with an enrollment letter you can download the moment you enroll, so you have proof you've started right away, plus a certificate with a verification number once you finish. Your access never expires, and if you need more hours later, what you paid counts toward the longer course.
The full curriculum is 24 one-hour lessons. Shorter tiers unlock the same lessons starting from Hour 1 — pick the length you need on the pricing page. Every lesson is fully narrated. Hour 1 is free to try (the free lesson doesn't include a certificate); the rest open when you enroll.
HOUR 1
Children Come First: Foundations of Co-Parenting
- Explain why a child's needs come first during a divorce or separation and afterward.
- Describe what co-parenting means for separated, divorced, never-partnered, blended and kinship families.
- Identify the four needs children have from the adults who care for them.
- Practice a child-first check that you can use when you feel pulled to speak about the other household.
HOUR 2
What Children Need When Families Change
- Describe how children of different ages may show their feelings when a family changes.
- Explain what research says about resilience and why differences in outcomes are small on average.
- Identify protective factors that help children adjust and risk factors that make adjustment harder.
- Practice ways to explain changes, listen, reassure and keep routines steady for a child.
HOUR 3
Keeping Children Out of the Middle
- Explain what it means for a child to be caught in the middle of adult disagreements and why it matters.
- Identify common ways children are drawn in, such as acting as messengers, spies or sources of support for one adult.
- Describe what research suggests about feeling caught between caregivers, including its limits.
- Practice phrases that keep a child out of the middle, repair a slip and protect the child's love for everyone.
HOUR 4
Business-Like Communication for Co-Parents
- Describe business-like communication and why it protects children from adult conflict.
- Explain the brief, informative, friendly and firm style and how to use it in written messages.
- Practice pausing before replying and choosing a channel and response time that work for both adults.
- Identify when business-like communication may not be enough or may not be safe, and where to look for support.
HOUR 5
Your Feelings After a Separation
- Describe the mix of feelings that parents commonly experience after a separation.
- Explain the difference between reappraisal and suppression as ways of handling strong emotions.
- Practice a simple pause routine and respectful phrases for buying time before responding.
- Identify self-care steps and the signs that suggest it is time to ask for professional help.
HOUR 6
Making Children the Priority: Shared Goals and a Vision
- Explain why a child's needs come first during a divorce or separation and afterward.
- Describe the four areas of Feinberg's co-parenting framework as topics for a shared vision.
- Practice writing child-centered goals and using a short child-first checklist before decisions.
- Identify what research says, and does not say, about education programs and written plans.
HOUR 7
Co-Parenting Styles: Cooperative, Parallel and Everything In Between
- Describe the cooperative, parallel and conflicted patterns that researchers and educators use to talk about co-parenting.
- Explain why parallel parenting is a respectable, child-centered option for some families.
- Identify the features of a parallel approach and the safety limits that apply to it.
- Practice sentences that propose more structure or clearer plans without blaming anyone.
HOUR 8
Tools and Channels: Messages, Calendars and Co-Parenting Apps
- Explain how choosing a fitting channel for each message can reduce misunderstandings and tension.
- Practice writing brief, neutral, child-focused messages with clear subject lines.
- Describe what a shared calendar and a co-parenting app can offer, and what the research on apps does and does not show.
- Identify simple privacy and security habits that protect shared accounts and the child's information.
HOUR 9
Listening, Tone and Hard Conversations
- Describe active listening and explain why reflecting back what you heard is different from agreeing.
- Explain how the start and tone of a hard conversation can shape what follows, and what the research on married couples can and cannot tell co-parents.
- Practice turning an accusing statement into an I-statement that describes a situation, a feeling and a request.
- Plan, pause and end a difficult conversation in ways that keep the focus on the child.
HOUR 10
Managing Disagreements and De-escalation
- Explain why the way adults handle disagreement matters for children, and describe what the research can and cannot show.
- Identify early signs of rising tension and practice calming and break-taking skills with a clear return time.
- Describe a step-by-step problem-solving approach that includes brainstorming, a trial period and a review.
- Recognize when to ask a mediator or other professional for help, and why safety comes before problem-solving.
HOUR 11
Parenting Plans: What They Cover
- Describe what a parenting plan is and why a clear plan helps children.
- Identify the main topics a plan may cover, including schedules, decisions, communication, exchanges, holidays, expenses and dispute resolution.
- Explain why rules and forms for parenting plans vary by state or country and why this lesson is educational information and not legal advice.
- Describe ways plans are made, why they should be reviewed, and why safety concerns change how a plan is approached.
HOUR 12
Schedules by Age and Stage
- Explain why research does not support one schedule as best for every child.
- Describe what infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age children and teenagers tend to need from a schedule.
- Summarize the research on overnights and shared time for young children, including where researchers disagree and what the studies cannot show.
- Identify ways to watch how a child is doing and to adjust a schedule as the child grows.
HOUR 13
Transitions and Exchanges
- Explain why the moment of handoff can be harder for a child than the destination.
- Practice preparing a child for an exchange with clear, calm steps and familiar belongings.
- Identify ways to keep adult disagreements out of the exchange so the child is protected.
- Describe options such as neutral locations and safe exchange programs when direct contact is difficult.
HOUR 14
Two Homes, One Child: Consistency and Routines
- Explain why predictable routines help children feel secure when they move between two homes.
- Identify which household rules should match, which work best when similar, and which can differ.
- Practice supporting the other parent's authority and responding calmly when a child compares homes.
- Describe how a shared media plan and a few core expectations can bring consistency without matching every detail.
HOUR 15
Shared Decision-Making: Education, Health and Activities
- Explain how everyday decisions and major decisions can be handled and why a clear process protects the child.
- Describe in general terms what FERPA and HIPAA say about parents and a child's school and health records.
- Practice sharing information with schools, health providers and the other caregiver in a calm, factual way.
- Identify steps for deciding together about education, health and activities, including when to seek local advice.
HOUR 16
Money and Child-Related Expenses
- Describe in general terms what child support is and how it is usually paid and reviewed.
- Explain why child support and parenting time are generally handled separately.
- Practice tracking shared child-related expenses and writing calm, factual messages about money.
- Identify age-appropriate ways to talk with children about family money without sharing adult worries.
HOUR 17
Supporting Your Child's Bond with Both Households and Extended Family
- Describe why children tend to do better when they keep warm bonds with the adults who care for them, where those adults are safe.
- Practice speaking about the other household in ways that are respectful, neutral and free of criticism.
- Identify ways to protect a child's relationships with grandparents, siblings and other relatives after a family changes.
- Explain why safety comes first and when encouraging a connection may not be appropriate.
HOUR 18
Talking with Children About Changes
- Describe the four qualities of a helpful explanation to a child, which are honest, simple, neutral and loving.
- Practice age-appropriate sample statements that explain the change without blaming the other caregiver.
- Explain why repeating the message, listening and naming feelings matter after a family changes.
- Identify how to answer hard questions briefly and truthfully while keeping adult conflict out of the child's hearing.
HOUR 19
Supporting Children's Emotional Health
- Describe what children's emotional health means and four building blocks that support it.
- Practice naming and validating a child's feelings and reading behavior as a form of communication without labeling the child.
- Identify warning signs that may suggest a child could benefit from extra support, and explain why one sign alone is not a diagnosis.
- Explain how to involve teachers, the pediatrician and the other caregiver when seeking support for a child.
HOUR 20
When Co-Parenting Is Not Safe
- Explain why co-parenting advice assumes that everyone can interact safely and why safety comes first.
- Describe the types of abuse and the idea of a pattern of power and control, as presented by the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the CDC.
- Identify why leaving can be a high-risk time and why internet and phone activity can be monitored.
- Describe how safety planning, professional and legal help, and a circle of support keep a child's safety at the center.
HOUR 21
High-Conflict Situations, Mediation and Professional Help
- Describe conflict as a continuum and explain why ongoing conflict between caregivers matters for children.
- Explain how parallel parenting, mediation, parenting coordination and counseling differ, and what the evidence can and cannot tell us.
- Identify situations in which mediation and other cooperative approaches may be unsuitable and safety comes first.
- Practice brief, neutral messages and calm, child-focused statements that lower tension around a child.
HOUR 22
New Partners, Stepfamilies and Blended Households
- Explain why timing, readiness and a serious relationship matter before a child meets a new partner.
- Describe how to plan a low-pressure first meeting and how to keep the child's other parent informed.
- Identify common feelings children have about new partners and stepparents, and how they may differ by age.
- Practice calm, respectful sentences that support roles, discipline and courtesy between households.
HOUR 23
Holidays, Travel, Distance and Changes Over Time
- Explain why holidays, school breaks and vacations are planned as their own layer on top of the regular schedule.
- Describe practical ways to share travel plans and to keep a child connected to a parent who lives far away.
- Identify why relocation needs early notice and attention to local rules, and how research on moves should be read with care.
- Practice reviewing a plan at regular points so it grows with the child and with changes in adult lives.
HOUR 24
Your Co-Parenting Plan and Moving Forward
- Describe how to write a children-first goal statement that anchors a personal co-parenting plan.
- Explain how a plan can cover agreement, shared tasks, mutual support and keeping the child out of the middle.
- Identify two or three routines, a repair habit and a support network to include in your own plan.
- Practice setting a review rhythm so the plan grows with the child and with changes in family life.