Summer Child Custody Schedules

June 21^st is officially the first day of summer, and the Pittsburgh weather is finally starting to reflect the change in the season. Along with sun, warmth, and the opening of Kennywood, kids are finishing up their school years and looking forward to the beginning of summer. Whether they are going to camp, travelling, or taking classes, summer represents a nice break from the fast pace and constant movement of the school year, but can also prove to be complicated for divorced parents.

Custody schedules can often reflect the changing circumstances of the summer. One child going to sleep away camp for a month can potentially impact both parents’ custody schedules. Here are some possible custody schedules that the Court will implement for the summer:

1. The Court may decide to simply continue with the same custody schedule. If both parents live near each other, and the current school year schedule is working, then there is no reason that it needs to be changed for the beginning of summer. This is particularly the case when the child is attending day camp or classes that take up the usual time of the school day.

2. The Court may award the entire summer vacation to one parent. This occurs in cases where the parents live far away from each other, and mid-week or weekend exchanges are not feasible. While it may not seem fair in the case that one parent only has a child during the school year, and one parent has the entire vacation, it is a matter of balancing amounts of quality time with parents living at great distances from each other.

3. The Court may divide the summer between the parents. Each parent may have a month to a month and a half in which to travel and spend time with the child(ren).

It is also possible to have a completely different arrangement. In custody matters, if both parties can agree on a schedule, then the Court will enter an order confirming the schedule. If the parties are unofficially following a schedule, then the Court will allow the schedule to continue.

Contact our experienced Pittsburgh Child Custody lawyers today to discuss your custody case!