How to Make a Parenting Plan in Ontario: A Step-by-Step Guide

Deciding how you and your co-parent will raise your children after separation is one of the most important tasks you will face. A solid parenting plan in Ontario removes ambiguity, reduces conflict, and — most importantly — gives your children the stability they need to thrive. This guide walks you through what a parenting plan must cover, how to structure it, and how to make it legally enforceable.

You do not need to go to court to have a valid parenting plan. Most Ontario families reach agreement privately, through negotiation or mediation, and record that agreement in a separation agreement or consent order.

What Is a Parenting Plan?

A parenting plan is a written document that sets out how separated parents will share responsibility for their children's day-to-day lives and major life decisions. It addresses:

• Where the children live and when
• How parents will share decision-making responsibility for health, education, religion, and significant extracurricular activities
• How parents will communicate with each other about the children
• How holidays, vacations, and special occasions are divided
• How disputes will be resolved if parents disagree

A good parenting plan is specific enough to prevent arguments but flexible enough to acknowledge that life changes.

Step 1: Take Stock of Your Children's Needs

Before drafting anything, list your children's current routines, commitments, and needs:

• School and daycare locations and hours
• Medical or therapeutic appointments
• Sports teams, music lessons, religious activities
• Friendships and social networks
• Emotional needs, especially right after separation

Children generally do best when transitions between homes are kept manageable — frequent transitions can be hard for very young children, while teenagers may have strong preferences about their own schedules.

Step 2: Decide on Decision-Making Responsibility

Decision-making responsibility (the term used in Ontario law in place of the older term "custody") refers to who has the authority to make significant choices about the child's life in key areas:

• Health: major medical treatments, specialists, therapy
• Education: school selection, special education decisions, tutoring
• Religion and culture: faith practices, cultural education
• Significant extracurricular activities: activities that affect the overall schedule

Decision-making responsibility can be:

• Joint: both parents must communicate and agree on major decisions. This is common when parents can cooperate.
• Sole (to one parent): one parent makes major decisions independently. This may be appropriate where there is a history of family violence, severe communication breakdown, or significant disagreement about the child's welfare.

Even with sole decision-making responsibility, the other parent typically retains the right to receive information about the child's health, education, and welfare.

Step 3: Design a Parenting Time Schedule

Parenting time is the time each parent spends with the child. Your schedule should reflect:

• The child's age and developmental stage (infants and toddlers often need more frequent, shorter visits with the non-primary parent to maintain the bond)
• Each parent's work schedule and availability
• The geographic distance between the parents' homes
• The child's school and activity schedule

Common Parenting Time Structures

Week-on, week-off (7/7): Each parent has the children for a full week, alternating. Works well when homes are close, children are school-aged, and both parents are equally available.

2-2-3 rotation: Children spend 2 days with Parent A, 2 days with Parent B, then 3 days with Parent A — then the pattern flips. Keeps each parent connected without week-long separations. Suits younger children well.

Primary residence with scheduled parenting time: Children live primarily with one parent; the other has specified parenting time (e.g., every other weekend and one weekday evening). Suited to situations where parents live far apart or where one parent has significantly less availability.

Custom arrangements: Many families devise hybrids — for example, a 5/2 split (5 days with one parent, 2 with the other) — to reflect real-world schedules.

Step 4: Address Holidays and Special Days

Holidays are a frequent source of conflict. Address them explicitly:

• Statutory holidays (Family Day, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas/holiday break, March Break)
• Children's and parents' birthdays
• Mother's Day and Father's Day
• Extended family events (weddings, reunions)
• Summer vacation — often done as a separate extended-time provision

Many parents alternate holidays on an even/odd year basis (e.g., Parent A has Thanksgiving in odd years, Parent B in even years).

Step 5: Set Communication Protocols

Spell out how the parents will communicate about the children:

• Primary method (text, email, a co-parenting app like OurFamilyWizard)
• Expected response time for routine matters vs. emergencies
• Rules about children having phone/video access to the other parent during parenting time
• How travel (especially international travel) will be authorized

Step 6: Build in a Dispute Resolution Process

No parenting plan survives children growing up without the need for adjustments. Include:

• A process for trying to reach agreement (discussion, then mediation) before court
• The name of a mediator or parenting coordinator you both agree to consult, if applicable

Step 7: Make It Legally Binding

A parenting plan signed by both parties as part of a separation agreement is a legally binding contract. To register it with the court (turning it into a consent order), both parties' signatures must be witnessed and — typically — each party should have had independent legal advice.

A court-registered consent order can be enforced through the courts if a party does not comply.

Frequently asked questions