Each state, sets its own child support guidelines that the family courts will use to determine how much one parent should pay the other parent for child support. There are certain expenses for children, however, that are not automatically included in a standard child support order. One of these expenses is for education.
We believe that custodial parents should not have to bear the burden of these costs and will work diligently to make sure that any child support order negotiated includes equal requirements of both parents to participate in these expenses. For more information about child support orders and modifications of order, contact our office to speak with a child support attorney.
Education Costs
Most parents can attest to how expensive education costs have become. It is not only tuition payments, if the child attends private school or daycare programs, but even the costs for children who attend public schools can be hefty. School expenses for children include:
- School clothes
- School supplies
- Backpacks
- After school activities
- Field trips
If a child is struggling with certain subjects, they may need a tutor to help them. Children who have severe physical or mental disabilities may need to attend specialized schools.
Although child support can be used to cover these education expenses, a family lawyer residents trust, may recommend that these extra costs be incorporated in a parenting plan in order to ensure that both parents are paying their fair share. In addition to the education costs that need to be addressed when drafting your parenting plan, some of the other education issues that should be considered are:
- If the child is old enough to have a say, what is their preference?
- If the parents live in different school districts, is there one district over the other which will provide the child with a better education and is the parent the child should live with?
- Would the benefit of changing schools outweigh the potential negative impact of changing schools for the child?
- What will each parent’s role be regarding the day-to-day involvement with the child’s educational needs, including helping with homework, parent/teacher meetings, etc.?
- How will the proposed parenting time schedule affect the child’s school schedule?
In addition to current and future education costs for children and how these expenses will be divided, your child support attorney may also recommend that college expenses be addressed. Even if your children are young, these are expenses that will someday in the not-so-distant future need to be addressed and it is better to address them during your divorce rather than years later when your child is graduating high school. It can be much more difficult – although not impossible – to have the court issue an order for the other parent to help cover college expenses years after the final divorce decree has been issued.
Call our law firm to set up a free consultation with a child support lawyer to find out how we can help ensure you and your child receive the financial support you deserve.