As Okaloosa County students prepare for classes starting August 11, a local co-parenting service is offering back-to-school success tips for separated families, drawing on insights from National Child-Centered Divorce Month in July.
- TalkingParents, a national co-parenting service headquartered in Fort Walton Beach, emphasizes that coordination between divorced parents is crucial for children’s academic success. The company says communication and planning can help co-parents avoid potential miscommunications and conflicts during the school year.
The focus on coordination comes as research shows children who spend at least 35% of their time with each parent do better in school and receive better grades, and perform better psychologically and socially. They are also less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other stress-related issues.
TalkingParents recommends several strategies for back-to-school success in shared parenting situations:
- Discuss school supply lists to organize what is needed and who will buy what. The company suggests co-parents estimate costs, set a budget together, and split expenses so both parents contribute equally.
- Agree on consistent bedtimes at both households to help keep children’s routines stable and easier to follow.
- Coordinate transportation needs so both parents understand how their child will get to and from school and extracurricular activities, helping co-parents handle emergencies.
- Set school meal guidelines to keep children’s diets consistent and balanced, including discussions about dietary needs and whether children will take lunch, buy lunch, or both.
- Talk about study routines so both parents understand what subjects their child is studying and how they are performing, helping develop healthy study habits between homes.
- Plan extracurricular activities by agreeing on what activities children will join and creating schedules so both parents know where their child will be and when.
- Share special moments through messages, calls, photos, and videos when one parent cannot be present for events like the first day of school.
The guidance addresses a significant need, as divorce affects nearly 50% of children in the U.S., impacting emotional well-being, family stability and long-term development. Parental separation ranks as one of the most common adverse childhood experiences, with about 64% of adults reporting they experienced at least one adverse childhood experience by age 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Research shows that “it is not specifically the separation that results in the adverse experience; instead, it is the presence of conflict, isolation, and lack of physical and psychological safety,” according to Dr. Jessica Kendorski, psychologist and professor at Temple University.
- According to the CDC, toxic stress from adverse childhood experiences can negatively impact a child’s brain development, immune system, and stress response system, affecting their attention, decision-making and learning abilities.
TalkingParents supports separated and divorced parents through tools designed to foster healthy communication and cooperation. The platform serves families in every state and 13 countries, keeping “every message and call timestamped and permanently saved, so nothing can be edited or deleted,” with all interactions stored in an “Unalterable Record” that can be used as evidence in court.
The service includes Accountable Calling and Secure Messaging so co-parents can communicate throughout the day, Accountable Payments for tracking and managing expenses, and a shared calendar feature so both parents can keep track of their child’s schedule.
TalkingParents also offers a free monthly newsletter providing expert guidance on divorce and custody, resources on child development and education, legal and financial insights, and health and wellness tips for parents and children.
