Upcoming Events
Divorce, Children & Stepfamilies
Parents divorce each other not the children, but children often feel the pain more than parents realize.
Divorce is a time of stress, confusion, and sadness for kids of any age. Their daily lives have changed and they experience the uncertainty of what life will be like. This is certainly a scary time for children. Parents, however, can make the process less painful and help their children learn to cope successfully.
Divorce Effects
Co-Parenting for Successful Kids Class
Statewide calendar of class dates and registration information
Co-Parenting for Successful Kids On-line - Register Here
Reduced Fee Application
Co-Parenting for Successful Kids is an educational program for families in the process of divorce, or who are interested in custody modification or paternity proceedings. The class will help parents understand the impact on their children and provide concrete steps parents can take to help their children succeed through the process.
Kids Talk About Divorce is an educational program for school-aged children experiencing divorce available at some sites. It is usually conducted concurrently with the Parents Forever class.
Co-Parenting for Successfull Kids is available throughout Nebraska to help meet the needs of divorcing families and children and meet the requirements of the New Parent Act as amended by LB 554 in 2007.
See the Early Childhood calendar for upcoming dates.
- Divorce is a grief experience surpassed only by the death of a parent.
- Teachers, child care professionals, family members and both parents can help children cope with their emotions during this difficult time.
Some families going through divorce experience turmoil and high conflict.
- Ways to avoid common distresses of divorce on children, including transitions and shared parenting time
- Tactics to make interactions more calm
- More helpful tips about children and divorce (*pdf, 2 pages)
- Divorce Education – One of the goals of parents as they work through divorce or custody issues is to put their children first. Parents need to work together to provide consistent parenting and to avoid the common trap of putting children in the middle of conflict. "Co-Parenting for Successful Kids" training can help - see below.
- Book and resource list for children and parents experiencing divorce and step-parenting*
- Nebraska Resources: Legal, Children Behavioral Health, & Domestic Violence Issues
More information on parenting issues is available on our Parents pages.
Stepfamilies
Children of divorce can find themselves part of a new family makeup. Stepfamilies face many challenges as parents, children and extended family members learn how to be part of a new family.
(*pdf, 64 pages; 2.5 MB)
(*PDF documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download free.)