Online co-parenting course offered by Extension gives parents more flexibility

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service has introduced a new online co-parenting course.

Co-Parenting for Successful Kids meets all the requirements of Oklahoma House Bill 2249, a recently enacted state law requiring divorcing parents of minor children (under 18) to attend an educational program about the effects of divorce on children.

“Co-Parenting for Successful Kids gives parents more options for complying with state law, and it’s especially helpful to those parents who are unable to attend a class in person,” said Ron Cox, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension family science specialist.

The goal of the highly interactive, research-based online course is to develop respectful, responsive and responsible co-parents. Participants complete assignments that are reviewed by experienced instructors who provide meaningful feedback based on parents’ responses.

“Although this is an online class, participants are still expected to do the required coursework,” said Cox. “Parents will be able to interact online with real instructors who are specially trained to work with divorcing couples to make sure participants get the most out of their experience.”

Both the Co-Parenting for Successful Kids online class and the Co-Parenting for Resilience in-person class offered by OSU Extension, cover the same topics.

However, because not all judges allow an online co-parenting course to satisfy state law requirements, participants should check with their assigned judge before registering for Co-Parenting for Successful Kids. The class fee is nonrefundable.

Research suggests Co-Parenting for Successful Kids increases parents’ abilities to help their children better deal with divorce. The major advantages of offering this course online include convenience, flexibility, privacy and standardized delivery, which make them popular options.

Meanwhile, traditional in-person classes such as Co-Parenting for Resilience give divorcing parents the opportunity to interact with others in similar circumstances. Making those connections can help them enhance their parenting skills and bolster their coping skills as well as provide emotional support.

“OSU Extension has been successfully offering co-parenting classes for more than 20 years. The new online version of the course is a natural next step for us,” Cox said. “We’re happy to offer this option to families in Oklahoma.”

For more information about Co-Parenting for Successful Kids or to register for the online course, visit coparenting.okstate.edu/online-class or contact the local county Extension office.