Visitation guidelines aid co-parenting relationships. Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, Kentucky courts impose visitation schedules to ensure children receive adequate time with both parents. In addition to providing general guidelines for all children, Kentucky applies varied “regular visitation” guidelines to different age groups.
Young Children
For children 18 months of age and under, Parent B will have visitation on alternate weekends and include an overnight stay on either Friday or Saturday. Parent B is granted an overnight stay on Tuesdays the week before the weekend visitation time and on Thursdays during the week after the weekend visitation time. For children 18 months to three-years-old, the visitation schedule remains the same, except that parent B is granted both Friday and Saturday overnights.
Ages 3 and Above
Parent B has the same visitation schedule as the schedule designed for young children, except that weekday overnight end times are determined by the beginning of the next day’s school day or by 8:00am. For example, if the school day begins at 7:30am on Wednesday, the overnight ends at 7:30am. If there is no school on Wednesday, the overnight ends at 8:00am.
Holidays, School Breaks, Vacations
Both parents are granted time with children over holidays. The specific holidays are determined on an every-other-year basis, with some holidays on even numbered years and others on odd numbered years. Holidays include Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
School breaks, such as Fall and Spring Breaks, are addressed like holidays but are determined by the child’s specific school calendars. During summer months, parent B is granted two, 2-week periods with the child, and parent A is given one, 2-week period. Parents must cooperate and provide at least 60 days’ notice to the other parent for upcoming vacations. Developing a schedule for your child’s and co-parenting needs can be complicated and may require a more in-depth explanation of Kentucky’s Guidelines.
Changes and Modifications to Visitation Schedules
Numerous factors allow for adjustments to visitation schedules. Notably, the Guidelines would not apply to parents who do not have a relationship with the child. The Guidelines also assume parents live within a reasonable distance from each other. For lengthy distances, the Guidelines will be adapted to the parents’ living situations. Additionally, an active Emergency Order of Protection or Domestic Violence Order between the parents will require different means of communication regarding the children. Finally, parents must be flexible with visitation to accommodate work schedules and children’s activities.