Parenting Class for Divorce in Cook County

Who must complete a parenting education program

Illinois requires parents in cases about children to take a parenting education class, and the parenting class for divorce in Cook County has its own registration steps and deadlines. The Illinois divorce parenting class requirement comes from Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924, which requires all parties in an allocation of parental responsibilities case to attend and complete an approved program, unless the court excuses them for good cause. The committee comments explain that this covers every divorce case involving a child and every parentage case. The Circuit Court of Cook County also points to Section 404.1 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act as authority for its program.

Cook County's local Rule 13.4(f) goes a step further. It requires all parents of minor children in any case involving the allocation of parental responsibilities to complete an authorized program, including post-decree cases to modify parental responsibilities and relocation cases.

A few points about who attends:

• If the other parent is in default or the court lacks jurisdiction over them, only the petitioning parent must attend at first. If the other parent later appears or takes part in post-judgment proceedings, that parent must attend too.
• A judge may excuse a parent only for good cause, and the reason must be documented in the record with a finding that excusing the parent is in the child's best interests.
• The class is educational. Rule 924 requires at least four hours covering parenting time, allocation of parental responsibilities and their impact on children, and the Cook County rule says the program is not designed for individual therapy.

Cook County program and deadlines

Focus on Children

The Circuit Court of Cook County's Family Court Services parent education page describes Focus on Children as the court's mandatory parent education program, the Cook County parenting education program for divorce and parentage cases. The curriculum covers how children of different ages experience separation and divorce, how parents can help children cope with major change, and how parents can communicate and co-parent peacefully. It uses facilitator lectures, a workbook, video messages from Domestic Relations judges, interviews with adults and children who have lived through divorce, and group discussion.

The class is four hours long and is offered in person on:

• Certain weekday mornings, 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
• Certain weekday afternoons, 12:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
• Two Saturday mornings each month, 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Registration and cost

Registration is required. Call Family Court Services at (312) 603-1540, or email a copy of your court order to DRD.family@cookcountyil.gov and ask to register. Each parent must register for their own class, and parents are not allowed to attend the same class as the other parent.

There is a class fee, paid to the Clerk of the Circuit Court before the class, either in Room 802 of the Daley Center or at a suburban Clerk's office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The court's page lists the current amount. The fee can be waived only by court order, and a parent with a fee waiver should tell the program when registering. Canceling less than 24 hours ahead or not finishing can mean re-registering and paying again.

The class is offered in Spanish twice a month. Interpreters for other languages, including sign language, must be scheduled in advance. Children are not allowed in the class, but weekday childcare is available in the courthouse Children's Room. Recording the class is prohibited.

The online option

Many parents search for an online parenting class for an Illinois divorce. The Domestic Relations Division has authorized one online program, Children In Between Online, as an alternative to the in-person class. The court's page describes it as an alternative when ordered by the court, and Rule 13.4(f) allows parents to complete the authorized online program without a court order, no earlier than 60 days before the case starts and no later than 60 days after the initial case management conference. If it is not finished within 30 days of registering, you may have to register and pay again. Parents who live outside Cook County may also use the authorized online program.

There is an important exception. If the judge orders you to mediation or emergency intervention, you must complete the in-person Focus on Children class, even if you already took an online class, and parents referred to mediation must finish it before the first mediation date. Confirm with your lawyer or the court which program your order requires before you register.

Deadlines

Rule 924 requires completion as soon as possible and no later than 60 days after the initial case management conference. At that conference, Rule 923 requires each parent to show proof of completion, give a fixed schedule for completing it, or show cause to be excused. Our article on the case management conference in a Cook County divorce explains that court date.

DuPage, Will and Lake County programs

Rule 924 requires each circuit or county to create or approve its own parenting education program of at least four hours. DuPage, Will and Lake Counties each have their own circuit court, and each sets the approved program, provider, format, fee and filing steps for its cases. Program names and providers change, so check your court order, the local rules and the circuit court's website for your county before you sign up. If you need a DuPage County divorce parenting class, our DuPage County courthouse and Zoom information page is a starting point for DuPage cases.

If you live outside Cook County but your case is in Cook County, Rule 13.4(f) allows you to use the authorized online program. If you are ordered to an in-class program, the court may accept a similar program approved by a court where you live.

Certificates and what happens if you miss it

At the end of Focus on Children, each parent receives a Certificate of Completion. Keep it safe, because the court's page says duplicate certificates are not available. Under Rule 13.4(f), you must file the certificate with the Clerk of the Circuit Court within 30 days after completing the program.

Missing the class has consequences:

• No final judgment on the allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time or relocation is entered without both parents' certificates, unless the court excused attendance or allowed more time.
• The court may impose sanctions on a parent who fails to complete the program, and Rule 924 allows sanctions for willful failure.
• Delay can push back mediation, which can push back the whole case.

If you missed your class, register for the next available date right away and be ready to tell the judge your new date.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until the case management conference. Register as soon as the case starts.
• Taking an online class the court has not authorized. Only an authorized program counts in Cook County.
• Assuming an online class covers mediation. Parents ordered to mediation must complete the in-person class.
• Losing the certificate or never filing it. File it within 30 days.
• Treating the class as a place to argue the case. It is educational, and the focus is the children.

For ideas on making the parenting plan work after the class, see our guide to co-parenting and your Illinois parenting plan and our article on the allocation of parental responsibilities in Illinois.

How Chicago Family Attorneys can help

Chicago Family Attorneys represents parents in Cook, DuPage, Will and Lake Counties. The firm can:

• Explain which parenting program your order requires and when it is due.
• Draft a proposed parenting plan and prepare you for mediation.
• Appear at a hearing on parenting issues under a limited scope arrangement, or represent you through the whole case as your Chicago child custody attorney.
• Prepare Self Represented Documents for an initial custody case if you plan to handle filing and court dates yourself.

Limited scope drafting starts at $500, and one hearing appearance starts at $1,200. Self Represented Documents is a $399 flat fee. See child custody and parenting time fees. Fees are confirmed in writing before you engage the firm, and no outcome can be promised.