With the end of the school year on the horizon – if not, for some, already here – Ohio families with school-aged children are starting to shift into summer mode. But, for a parent who is separated from his or her spouse or is otherwise navigating a co-parenting relationship, what might this shift entail? In particular, how might the children’s Summer Break be allocated between the parents?

As is the case with the school-year parenting time schedule, there are many, many different ways for parents to share the available possession time with their children during the Summer Break. Similar to the school-year parenting time schedule, the Summer Break parenting time schedules tend to take one of two forms — specifically, “equal” parenting time schedules or schedules where one parent has the majority of the parenting time. However, the ways that the available parenting time is, ultimately, divided between the parents during the Summer Break can be unique in each and every circumstance.

That said, there are a handful of common parenting time schedules in Ohio for Summer Break that are worth highlighting in more detail.

1.)  The Regular, School-Year Schedule Controls

Some families elect for their Regular, school-year parenting time schedule to continue to remain in place and control during the children’s Summer Break. In this way, there is no real “shift,” as a practical matter, from the Regular, school-year parenting time schedule to the Summer Break parenting time schedule.

Of course, as there is no school during the traditional business week – and to the extent that both parents work during that time, thus rendering them unavailable to supervise for the children – it becomes incumbent on the parents to work together to procure any needed childcare for the children during his or her parenting time. This can take many forms, including coordinating and enrolling the children in agreed-upon camps or similar activities during the business week, and/or having each parent procure his or her own needed work-related daycare. However, if the Regular, school-year parenting time schedule has one parent receiving the majority of the parenting time with the children, continuing to defer to the same schedule during the children’s Summer Break may inadvertently place the majority of the childcare responsibility on that parent. For some families, this outcome may make sense. For others, this outcome is something to consider and critically evaluate.

When parents opt to allocate the Summer Break in this way, they, traditionally, also include a carve-out for each parent to enjoy some amount of uninterrupted vacation parenting time with the children during the Summer Break. This enables each parent to still travel or enjoy a staycation with the children. Ultimately, continuing to defer to the Regular, school-year parenting time schedule during the Summer Break affords consistency and familiarity for the parties and the children, while still enabling both parents to take advantage of the benefits of the summer months, if desired.

2.)  Unique Summer Break Schedule

For a variety of reasons, some families opt, at the conclusion of the children’s school year, to shift to a completely different Summer Break parenting time schedule. For example, during the school year, the parents may enjoy a 5-2-2-5 parenting time schedule, and in the summer months, they may transition to a week-on / week-off parenting time schedule.

There are a variety of reasons why a different Summer Break parenting time schedule may make sense for some families. Common scenarios where a shift in schedule during the Summer Break may make sense include:

• When a shift in the parenting time schedule would enable the parents to more easily allocate childcare responsibilities during the summer months;

• When the parents reside at such a distance from each other that it negatively impacts the non-school parent’s ability to have parenting time with the children during the school year – but the non-school parent is still able to have parenting time with the children on a weekly basis during the school year (for example, if the parents reside a regional distance apart); and

• When one parent has work-related or personal responsibilities which pause or become more flexible (or, in the alternative, which commence or become less flexible) during the summer months.

Of course, even if the circumstances of a family may fall into one of the aforementioned categories, that does not, in and of itself, inherently mean that, absent the agreement of the parties, a different Summer Break parenting time schedule is inherently in the children’s best interest. Nor should the aforementioned categories be interpreted to be all-inclusive. Instead, each situation and outcome remains fundamentally fact-specific and fact-dependent.

Moreover, if a family opts to utilize a different parenting time schedule during the children’s Summer Break, doing so does not prevent that family from also incorporating a carve-out for each parent to enjoy some amount of uninterrupted vacation parenting time with the children during the Summer Break. Of course, if a family opts to utilize a Summer Break parenting time schedule which enables each parent to have parenting time with the children for a week at a time or more, then it may be unnecessary to also incorporate such a carve-out for uninterrupted vacation parenting time.

3.)  Allocate the Summer Break in Chunks

Finally, some families elect, at the conclusion of the children’s school year, to shift to a Summer Break parenting time schedule which enables the parents to each have extended chunks of parenting time with the children. This schedule is most common for families where the parents reside a substantial distance from each other, such that the non-school parent is not able to have parenting time with the children on a weekly basis during the school year (for example, if the parents reside in different states).

In these long-distance parenting time arrangements, it is not uncommon for the non-school parent to have the majority of the parenting time during the children’s Summer Break, which is then exercised in one (1) extended chunk of time or several extended chunks of time during the summer months.

In contrast to the schedules described in #1 and #2 herein, parents who operate under a Summer Break parenting time schedule described in this section usually decline to incorporate carve-outs for uninterrupted vacation parenting time during the Summer Break. This is because, for these families, the summer months are already allocated in extended chunks of time which are sufficient for any desired travel or staycations. Of course, when allocating Summer Break parenting time in this context, it is appropriate to also ensure that the school parent has sufficient time for any desired travel or staycations during the Summer Break, especially if the children will be spending the majority of the summer months with the non-school parent.

Not unsurprisingly, there is truly no one size fits all (or most) approach when it comes to crafting a Summer Break parenting time schedule. As such, this is where an experienced domestic relations attorney can be particularly helpful.