Managing a family schedule from two households can be quite a chore. Online parenting software may be the answer for some separated or divorced parents to communicate and co-manage their children’s schedules. The services, which are either internet based or downloadable, offer a wide range of options for parents to choose from. The most complex have photo sharing, family journals, time-tracking, expense logs and more. These are generally fee based services. Others are simply online calendars geared towards family planning and scheduling but may not meet the needs of parents who have a difficult time communicating with each other.
Our Family Wizard: This particular service is geared towards separated, divorced and living apart parents. All information saved to the site is backed-up and secure. This is a service that would be useful to parents who find that their challenge is communicating with one another.
o Features:
The parent account allows access to:
Private and Shared Family Calendar
Message Board
Notifications and Reminder
Journal
Information Bank
Important Documents
Expense Log
Family Resource Section
E-Coupons
The child account allows each child their own account with access to:
Shared Family Calendar
Message Board
Create and View Journal Entries
Receive Notifications and Reminders
o Price:
$55.00 for six months (approx. $9.17/month)
$99.00 for one year (approx. $8.25/month)
$179.00 for two years (approx $7.46/month)
ParentingTime.net: This is the home of OPTIMAL which is the Online Parenting Time Information Manager and Access Log. OPTIMAL is a one year subscription based service which is geared for custody arrangements. Its central focus is on the “Tracker” module which records and tracks parenting.
o Features:
Custody calendar
Child Support Tracker
Private Message Center
Graphs & Statistics
Print & Export
Tasks & Notes
Time Tracker
Private Journal
‘At a Glance’ Homepage
Contacts & Address Book
Personal Preferences
Guest User Features
o Price:
$149.95 for a 1-year unlimited access subscription billed yearly
JointParents.com: This service is marketed as having been developed by co-parents and is said to be easy to use and readily accessible. There is a Free 30 day Trial Period for interested users.
o Features:
Custody Calendar (Reminders, recurring events, email approvals for custody changes; color coded parenting days)
Daily Routine (Household rules and routines)
Contact Manager (Allow others to access)
Diary (History of occurrences between co-parents and children)
Message Board
Medical Manager
Multiple Families (Manage children with one or multiple families)
Overnight Reporting (Displays # of overnights with child)
Photos
Expense Tracking (Enter and track expenses, view total owed, show paid/not paid, email notification)
o Price:
30 day free trial available
$9.95/monthly payments
$99.50/annually (2 months free)
FamilyCrossings.com: This online service is not solely directed towards separated, divorced and living apart parents, but rather a service that provides each family with its own website. You can visualize family data with maps, time lines and tag clouds. Family Crossings offers both a free and subscription service.
o Features:
Free: This version offers less storage space and has sponsor advertisements visible. Families can access a number of features that could be helpful in family organizing and information sharing.
News
Photos
Calendar
Address Book
Live IM style chat
Gift Center
Storage – 150MB
Premium: Families have more storage space and no advertisements. There are also six more features than the free version. You can also add storage space if need be.
News
Photos
Calendar
Address Book
Live IM style chat
Gift Center
Family history
Family Database
Wish List
Family Polls
Special Offers
Games
Storage – 250MB
o Prices:
The premium version is $9.95/month
CustodyToolbox.com: This is a downloadable Windows program that is designed for custody situations.
o Features:
Calendar
Child Information
Journal
Parenting-time Report
To-Do List
Address Book
o Price:
15 day free trial available
$49.95 to purchase the software
Cozi.com: This is a free online service that helps manage a family’s schedule. This is not geared specifically towards divorced, separated or living apart parents.
o Features:
§ Family Calendar
§ Customizable Lists
§ Reminders & Messages
§ Mobile access
§ Journal
§ Photo collage
§ Outlook sync
o Price:
§ Free
Crusco Law Office Law Clerk Marisa L. Ulloa contributed to this post.