How many co-parenting resources are in California?

Women's Corner tracks 12 co-parenting resources for women in California.

Are co-parenting resources in California free?

12 of the 12 listed co-parenting resources in California are explicitly free or low-cost.

Which cities in California have co-parenting resources?

Resources serve multiple cities and counties in California.

What are some examples of co-parenting resources in California?

Featured entries include California Courts — Parenting Plan Forms, Parents as Teachers — California, Catholic Charities California — Family Services, First 5 California — Family Programs, Our Family Wizard.

Do these listings include phone numbers?

1 of 12 California co-parenting listings include phone numbers.

Is a parenting class required for divorce?

In most states, yes — a 4–6 hour court-approved co-parenting class ($25–$75, often online) is required before any divorce or custody order involving minor children is finalized. Check your state court's approved provider list. The class is gender-neutral and focuses on protecting kids from conflict.

What's mediation and do I have to do it?

Mediation is a confidential negotiation with a neutral third party to agree on a parenting plan. Most states require at least one mediation session before contested custody hearings. It's faster, cheaper, and less traumatic than litigation. If there's domestic violence history, you can request to opt out or have separate-room mediation.

Which co-parenting app should I use?

OurFamilyWizard, Talking Parents, and 2Houses are accepted as evidence in court in most US jurisdictions. They provide tamper-proof message logs, shared calendars, expense tracking, and a tone-monitoring feature. If your ex is abusive or harassing, these apps create a documented record judges will read.

How do I co-parent with someone who was abusive?

Use parallel parenting instead of cooperative co-parenting — minimize contact, use a court-monitored app for all communication, exchange the child at a neutral location or police station, and stick strictly to the written parenting plan. Document everything. Many states allow supervised exchanges through Safe Exchange programs at no cost.

Best Co-Parenting in California — 12 resources

About Co-Parenting for Women

Co-parenting programs help separated and divorced mothers share custody constructively and document communication. Most states require court-ordered parent education (often called 'children first' or 'co-parenting' classes) before finalizing a divorce or custody order involving minor children — typically 4–6 hours, online or in person, costing 5–$75. Court-based mediation programs are often free or sliding-scale and certified through state mediation councils. Digital tools like OurFamilyWizard, Talking Parents, and 2Houses provide court-admissible message logs, shared calendars, and expense tracking that family judges increasingly require in high-conflict cases. This directory includes state-required classes, mediators, and co-parenting apps.

Co-Parenting in California

California handles custody in superior courts across all 58 counties, with the Department of Child Support Services running enforcement through local child support agencies (LCSAs). Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, and Sacramento are the major metros. LAFLA, Bay Area Legal Aid, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and Planned Parenthood affiliates serve women statewide.

12 Resources

1. California Courts — Parenting Plan Forms — Free

The Judicial Council's self-help site provides every parenting plan form a California mother needs: FL-341 (the master plan), FL-341(A) through (E) for specific issues like supervised visitation, and the Children's Holiday Schedule attachment. Plain-English instructions walk through how to file the plan with an FL-300 motion. Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese versions of key forms are downloadable free of charge.

Online resource · 24/7 online · Visit Website

2. Parents as Teachers — California — Free

Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based home-visiting model with affiliates across California funded by First 5 county commissions. Trained parent educators visit free of charge from pregnancy through kindergarten entry, helping co-parenting mothers establish consistent routines across two households and coach communication with the other parent. Especially strong in Fresno, San Joaquin, and Riverside counties where First 5 backs the model heavily.

Statewide program · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

3. Catholic Charities California — Family Services — Free

Catholic Charities operates 12 California diocesan agencies offering co-parenting counseling, supervised exchange centers, and parenting classes regardless of religion. The Orange County and San Francisco offices run particularly active supervised visitation programs accepted by family court judges. Sliding-scale fees; many sites accept Medi-Cal for the behavioral health portion. Spanish is standard at every site.

Multiple locations statewide · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

4. First 5 California — Family Programs — Free

First 5 California, funded by the 1998 tobacco tax (Prop 10), distributes roughly $400 million annually to county commissions that fund home visiting, parenting classes, and the Talk. Read. Sing. campaign. Co-parenting mothers with children 0-5 can find county-specific programs through the state portal—particularly useful in rural counties where private parenting coaches are scarce.

(916) 263-1050 · Statewide program · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website

5. Our Family Wizard — Free

OurFamilyWizard is the co-parenting app California family judges most often order high-conflict parents to use, particularly in LA, Orange, and San Diego superior courts. Mothers get a tamper-proof message log, shared calendar, expense ledger, and the ToneMeter that flags hostile language before sending. Monthly subscription required; some California counties have fee-waiver programs for low-income litigants.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

6. TalkingParents — Free

TalkingParents records every message, call, and shared calendar entry in a tamper-evident format that California family courts routinely admit into evidence. The free tier covers messaging and calendar; paid tiers add recorded video calls and the Accountable Payments ledger. Useful for California mothers documenting communication patterns ahead of a contested custody trial or 730 evaluation.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

7. AppClose — Free

AppClose is a fully free co-parenting app—no premium tier required—with shared calendars, expense splitting, integrated payments, and a parenting-plan repository. A budget-friendly choice for California mothers whose court order doesn't specifically mandate OFW. Available on iOS and Android; messages export to PDF for court use when needed.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

8. 2houses — Free

2houses offers a strong shared medical-records feature—useful when a California child has chronic conditions (asthma is high in the SoCal basin) and both parents need real-time access to immunization records, allergies, and prescription lists. Free trial then subscription. The journal feature allows both parents to log behavioral notes that pediatricians and therapists can review.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

9. Coparenter — Free

Coparenter's distinguishing feature is on-demand mediation—for a per-incident fee, a licensed mediator joins the chat in real time to resolve a disagreement. Useful for California mothers whose case doesn't include a court-appointed parenting coordinator and who need help breaking impasses on summer schedules, school selection, or extracurriculars without filing another RFO.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

10. Up to Parents — Free

Up to Parents is a free online course that satisfies the parent education requirement in many California counties under the Family Code Section 3170 mediation framework. The interactive modules refocus parents on children's developmental needs rather than parental grievances. Certificate downloads as a PDF accepted by most county Family Court Services offices.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

11. Cozi Family Organizer — Free

Cozi is a free shared calendar, grocery list, and to-do tool that low-conflict California co-parents use to coordinate kids' schedules across two households. It isn't court-admissible like OFW, but it's a clean lightweight option when both parents communicate respectfully and don't need a tamper-evident record—a good fit for mothers stepping down from monitored apps as conflict eases.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

12. Custody X Change — Free

Custody X Change generates printable parenting-time calendars matching common California schedules—5-2-2-5, 2-2-3, alternating weeks, and the 'every other weekend' that judges in LA and Riverside often default to. Output formats to attach to a California court filing or to share with a Family Court Services mediator ahead of a recommending counseling appointment.

Nationwide · Online · Visit Website

Frequently Asked

How many co-parenting resources are in California?: Women's Corner tracks 12 co-parenting resources for women in California.
Are co-parenting resources in California free?: 12 of the 12 listed co-parenting resources in California are explicitly free or low-cost.
Which cities in California have co-parenting resources?: Resources serve multiple cities and counties in California.
What are some examples of co-parenting resources in California?: Featured entries include California Courts — Parenting Plan Forms, Parents as Teachers — California, Catholic Charities California — Family Services, First 5 California — Family Programs, Our Family Wizard.
Do these listings include phone numbers?: 1 of 12 California co-parenting listings include phone numbers.
Is a parenting class required for divorce?: In most states, yes — a 4–6 hour court-approved co-parenting class (5–$75, often online) is required before any divorce or custody order involving minor children is finalized. Check your state court's approved provider list. The class is gender-neutral and focuses on protecting kids from conflict.
What's mediation and do I have to do it?: Mediation is a confidential negotiation with a neutral third party to agree on a parenting plan. Most states require at least one mediation session before contested custody hearings. It's faster, cheaper, and less traumatic than litigation. If there's domestic violence history, you can request to opt out or have separate-room mediation.
Which co-parenting app should I use?: OurFamilyWizard, Talking Parents, and 2Houses are accepted as evidence in court in most US jurisdictions. They provide tamper-proof message logs, shared calendars, expense tracking, and a tone-monitoring feature. If your ex is abusive or harassing, these apps create a documented record judges will read.
How do I co-parent with someone who was abusive?: Use parallel parenting instead of cooperative co-parenting — minimize contact, use a court-monitored app for all communication, exchange the child at a neutral location or police station, and stick strictly to the written parenting plan. Document everything. Many states allow supervised exchanges through Safe Exchange programs at no cost.