Florida Parenting Course for Divorce: Who Must Take It, Deadlines, and What to Expect

Quick Summary: Parents in a Florida divorce with minor children, or in a paternity case that involves parental responsibility, must complete a state-approved Florida parenting course before the court enters a final judgment. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.21, the course is called the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course, it runs at least four hours, and it must be approved by the Department of Children and Families. In a divorce, the petitioner generally has 45 days after filing to finish it, and the other parent has 45 days after being served. A court can excuse the requirement for good cause, and it can sanction a parent who ignores it.

The Florida parenting course is one of the least glamorous parts of a divorce and one of the easiest to get wrong. It is not a hearing, it does not decide anything about your case, and nobody grades your parenting. But it is a mandatory step with a filing deadline, and a missed deadline can delay a final judgment or draw a sanction from the court. This guide explains who has to take the course, when, what it covers, and what to do if your situation is unusual.

1. Who Must Take the Florida Parenting Course

The requirement sits in § 61.21(4)(a). It applies to "all parties to a dissolution of marriage proceeding with minor children or a paternity action that involves issues of parental responsibility." Both parents must complete the course, not only the one who filed. It must be finished before the court enters a final judgment.

Two related points come from the same statute:

• Special-needs children. If the parties have children with identified special needs or emotional concerns, they must choose a course tailored to those needs. A court may also require a parent to take additional courses on that subject.
• Modification cases. Under § 61.21(6), parties to a modification of a final judgment involving a parenting plan or time-sharing schedule "may be required" to complete a court-approved parenting course before the court enters a modifying order. Unlike an original case, this is a possibility, not an automatic rule. Our guide to modifying a parenting plan in Florida covers the modification process itself.

2. The 45-Day Deadline for the Florida Parenting Course

Section 61.21(5) sets the clock. For a dissolution of marriage, unless the court has excused the requirement, the petitioner must complete the course within 45 days after filing the petition, and every other party must complete it within 45 days after being served with the petition. For paternity actions, the petitioner also has 45 days after filing, and the other parent has 45 days after an acknowledgment of paternity, an adjudication of paternity, or an order granting time-sharing or support.

The statute also tells parents to begin "as expeditiously as possible," and it requires each party to file proof of compliance with the court before the final judgment is entered. Finishing the class is only half the task. If the proof of compliance never gets filed, the case file is not complete.

3. What the Course Covers, and What It Does Not

Under § 61.21(2), the Department of Children and Families approves a course of at least four hours that is designed to educate and assist divorcing parents about the consequences of divorce for parents and children. The statute lists topics the course may include, among them:

• The legal aspects of deciding child-related issues between parents;
• The emotional effects of separation and divorce on adults and on children;
• Family relationships and dynamics;
• Financial responsibilities to a child;
• Skill-based relationship education; and
• The particular needs of children with identified special needs or emotional concerns.

Information about spousal and child abuse and neglect must be included in every course, along with a list of local agencies that offer help. The course is educational only. By statute it is not individual mental health therapy or individual legal advice, and providers may not solicit participants to become private clients or patients.

The statute also protects what is said in the room. Under § 61.21(8), statements made and information obtained at a required session are not considered in the adjudication of a pending or later case, and no report from the session becomes part of the court record unless the parties stipulate in writing otherwise. Parents can attend without worrying that a comment in class will surface in their case.

4. Finding an Approved Provider, Online or In Person

Only approved providers count. The Department maintains a public page for the Parent Education and Family Stabilization course, and each judicial circuit must make its list of approved providers available to parents. Under § 61.21(3)(c), the Department's list must include at least one statewide course offered over the internet and one offered by correspondence, so a parent who works long hours or lives out of state still has a way to comply.

Cost is addressed in two places. Section 61.21(7) allows a "reasonable fee" to be charged to each parent, and § 61.21(3)(b) directs the Department to include on each circuit's list at least one site with a sliding fee scale, if available. The Department's provider rule also asks each provider to report the languages in which the course is offered and how indigent parents can take it, such as scholarships, acceptance of court waivers, or sliding fee scales (Fla. Admin. Code R. 65C-32.005). Before you pay, confirm that the specific course is on the Department's current approved list.

5. Special Situations: Separate Attendance and Excusals

Nothing in § 61.21(10) requires divorcing parents to attend together. Where there is a history of domestic violence, the court may, without a motion from either party, prohibit the parents from taking the course together (§ 61.21(11)). A parent with safety concerns should raise them with an attorney early, and our guide to domestic violence injunctions and custody in Florida explains how those issues can affect a parenting case.

The court may also excuse a party from attending the course, or from completing it within the deadline, "for good cause" (§ 61.21(4)(b)). The statute does not define good cause, so a parent who cannot meet the 45-day window should ask the court rather than simply let the deadline pass.

6. What Happens if You Do Not Complete It

Section 61.21(9) gives the court several options for a parent who fails to attend a required course. The court may hold that parent in contempt, may deny shared parental responsibility or time-sharing, or may impose another sanction it considers appropriate. Those outcomes are discretionary, and a parent who is close to the deadline with a good reason is in a very different position from one who ignores the requirement. Still, the safest course is to finish early. Ignoring the requirement can also give the other side an argument at a stage of the case when time-sharing is being decided. If you are still sorting out temporary arrangements, see our overview of temporary relief in a Florida divorce.

7. How the Course Fits Into Your Parenting Plan

The course does not create your time-sharing schedule or decide any contested issue. Its purpose, as § 61.21(1) puts it, is to give parents information about how courts make decisions on child-related issues and how they can ease the adjustments for their children, ideally at the earliest stages of a dispute. Finishing it early means one requirement is already behind you when you sit down to negotiate a plan. For a deeper look at building the schedule itself, read our guides on what a parenting plan includes and time-sharing in Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do both parents have to take the Florida parenting course?

How long does the parenting course take?

What is the deadline to complete the course in a Florida divorce?

Can I take the course online?

Do we have to attend the parenting course together?

Can what I say in the class be used against me in court?

What if I miss the deadline?

Cited Sources

• Fla. Stat. § 61.21 — Parenting course authorized; fees; required attendance authorized; contempt.
• Florida Department of Children and Families — Parent Education and Family Stabilization.
• Florida Department of Children and Families — Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course Providers.
• Fla. Admin. Code R. 65C-32.005 — Parenting course approval (provider language and indigent-status reporting).

The parenting course is one small requirement inside a larger process, and the way you approach it can shape how the court sees you. Doreen Yaffa and the Yaffa Family Law Group children and family law team guide parents in Palm Beach and Broward counties through time-sharing, parenting plans, and the steps that come before a final judgment, and our divorce practice handles the full case. Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation.