Do You Have to Take a Parenting Class to Get a Divorce? Approved by Courts Nationwide
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Whether court-ordered for divorce, paternity, or custody, or referred by a caseworker or judge, our Co-Parenting and Parenting Classes meet every court and agency requirement.
Yes, when your divorce involves minor children. Courts in every state order a parenting or co-parenting class in divorce cases with children, by statute in some states and by court rule or the judge’s order in the rest, and both parents complete it before the case is finalized. A divorce with no minor children does not carry the requirement.
Putting Kids First has been teaching parents since 1993, and online since 2001 as The Original Online Parenting Class. Approved by Courts Nationwide, it is the name attorneys recommend, and courts know. If the class is on your list, you can finish it today at puttingkidsfirst.org.
Which States Require a Parenting Class for Divorce
The requirement reaches every state. What changes from one state to the next is where it is written down:
- By state law. Florida, Utah, Tennessee, Arizona, Missouri, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Illinois, and others write the class into the divorce statute itself. In Florida the certificate is filed before the final judgment is entered. In Utah the class is a prerequisite to the decree. Each of these states gives the class its own formal name, such as the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course in Florida or the Parenting Education Program in Connecticut, and the order you receive uses that name.
- By court order under the family code. Texas courts order the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Class under the Family Code in divorce, modification, and other cases affecting the parent-child relationship, across all 254 counties. New York, Georgia, Washington, and Ohio courts order the class in the same way, through the judge’s order in your case rather than a single statewide statute.
- By local court rule or standing order. In the remaining states the requirement lives in the rules of the circuit or county where your case is filed. Harris County, Texas, for example, requires completion before any final hearing. Clay County and St. Louis County in Missouri do not move a case to final hearing until both parents have complied. Fulton County, Georgia, and the Ninth Circuit in Florida carry the requirement in standing orders.
Your own order names the class your court wants. Our state pages walk through what each state calls it and how the certificate is filed there, and the class is the same wherever you are. Start from our court approval page to find your state.
Who Has to Complete It
- Both parents. Each parent completes the class separately and receives their own certificate. Your completion does not depend on the other parent’s, and the court does not ask you to attend together.
- The parent who filed and the parent who was served. The requirement attaches to the case, not to whoever started it. Being the respondent does not excuse the class.
- Parents in custody, paternity, and modification cases. The same class is ordered in cases that are not divorces at all: establishing paternity, changing an existing custody order, or any new case that touches where the children live and how the parents share time.
Why Courts Ask for It
The class is not a judgment on you as a parent. Courts order it because children do better when both parents learn the same practical skills for communication, cooperation, and keeping conflict away from the kids while the family changes shape.
It is a routine part of a divorce with children, the same way filing certain forms is routine, and it is one of the easier requirements in your case to check off. Parents who were skeptical going in tell us afterward that it helped.
How to Complete Your Class Online, at Your Own Pace
Putting Kids First’s classes are 100% online and fully self-paced. There is no classroom, no schedule, and no video calls. You can complete the class from your phone, tablet, or computer, whenever it fits your life:
- Enroll at puttingkidsfirst.org. Choose the co-parenting class, parenting class, or both, whichever your order names.
- Work through the lessons at your own speed. Read each lesson, take your time, and pause whenever you need to. Your progress saves automatically.
- Download your certificate and file it. Your certificate of completion is available right after you finish, ready to print, file with the court, or send to your attorney.
Many parents finish in a single day. Others spread the lessons across a week of evenings. Either way works, because the pace is entirely yours.
Every certificate includes a unique verification code, so the court, your attorney, or a caseworker can confirm it instantly at puttingkidsfirst.org/verify.
What If You Have Not Taken It Yet?
Then today is the day. Courts expect the certificate in the file before the final hearing, and a parent who walks in with the class finished has removed the one item the court was waiting on.
If your deadline has already passed, the same advice applies. A finished class with a late certificate is a resolved issue; an unfinished class is an open one. Our guide on what happens if you don’t take a court ordered parenting class covers what courts do and how finishing fixes it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to take a parenting class to get a divorce if you have no children?
No. The parenting class is ordered in cases involving minor children. A divorce with no minor children, or with children who are already adults, does not carry the requirement unless the judge orders it for a reason specific to your case.
Do both parents have to take the class?
Yes. Both parents complete the class separately. Each parent receives their own certificate, and one parent’s completion does not depend on the other’s.
Can the parenting class requirement be waived?
A waiver exists only as a written order from your judge. Until that order is signed and in your file, the requirement stands. Completing the class online takes less effort than asking for a waiver and is never held against you.
Can I take the parenting class online?
Yes. Online classes are a standard, widely used way to satisfy the requirement. Putting Kids First is Approved by Courts Nationwide, teaching parents since 1993 and online since 2001 as the class attorneys recommend. Your certificate shows the class name, your completion dates, and a verification code the court can check.
When do I have to complete the class?
Your order or your county’s rules set the deadline, and courts expect the certificate in your file before the final hearing. The practical answer is now: the class is self-paced, you can start the moment you enroll, and your certificate is available the moment you finish.
What happens if I do not take it?
The case does not get finalized, and judges have further tools, from contempt to restricted parenting time. Every one of those outcomes is avoided the same way, by completing the class. Our guide on what happens if you do not take a court ordered parenting class covers the details.
Is the parenting class the same as the co-parenting class?
No. Courts order one or the other, and sometimes both, and your order names which. The co-parenting class is the one ordered in divorce and custody cases; the parenting class is ordered in agency and other family cases. If your order names both, or you are not sure, enrolling in both covers it with two certificates.
What if I was referred by a caseworker instead of a judge?
You are covered. Parents referred by child welfare agencies and caseworkers use Putting Kids First to satisfy case plans every day. Enroll today, complete the class, and provide your certificate to your caseworker.