State requirements / Florida
Florida parenting class requirement
4 hours, every divorce with kids
Florida requires all parties to a dissolution with minor children, and to paternity actions involving parental responsibility, to complete the four-hour Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course before final judgment. Petitioners have 45 days from filing, respondents 45 days from service. Our provider application is prepared: $20 for one parent, $30 for both.
The requirement at a glance
| Who must attend | All parties to a dissolution of marriage with minor children, and all parties to a paternity action that involves issues of parental responsibility. Where a child has identified special needs or emotional concerns, the parties must select a course tailored to that. In a modification case attendance is optional and up to the judge. |
| Hours required | 4 minimum |
| Deadline | In a dissolution, the petitioner completes within 45 days after the petition is filed, and every other party within 45 days after being served. In a paternity action the 45 days runs instead from an acknowledgment or adjudication of paternity, or from an order granting that party time-sharing or support. |
| Authority | Fla. Stat. 61.21; Fla. Admin. Code 65C-32 |
| Fees and waivers | A reasonable fee may be charged and there is no statutory cap. A provider must describe how indigent parents complete the course, through scholarships, acceptance of court waivers, or a sliding scale. Our donor-funded scholarship answers that. |
| Our price | $20 for one parent, $30 for both parents on the same case. Scholarship seats are funded by donors, so no parent is turned away for money. |
| Our registry status | Provider application prepared and in progress. We will claim approval only when the approval document is in our hands. |
What the law actually says
“the petitioner must complete the course within 45 days after the filing of the petition, and all other parties must complete the course within 45 days after service of the petition”
Fla. Stat. 61.21(5)Quoted from the official text. Read it yourself at the source below.The part nobody explains
Filing your certificate
Each party files their own proof of compliance with the court before the final judgment is entered. Completion is a precondition to that judgment, not a formality to be caught up afterwards.
If the deadline passes
The court may hold a parent who fails to attend in contempt, may deny that parent shared parental responsibility or time-sharing, or may impose another sanction it considers appropriate.
Who approves providers in Florida
The Department of Children and Families approves every provider, and approval lasts three years. The rule directs the Department to approve all applications meeting the criteria. Online delivery is not merely tolerated here: the Department must keep at least one statewide approved internet course on its list, and the rule requires an online course to prevent a parent from finishing in under four hours. Our provider application is prepared and waiting on signatures.
What you get from us
- The full course, start to finish, on a phone or a laptop, with your progress saved. Lifetime access, no thirty-day expiry and no extension fees.
- Your certificate the moment you finish, by email, free. A mailed paper copy is optional.
- Free instant verification for your court. A clerk or judge confirms the certificate at our verification page with no account and no phone call.
- Our acceptance guarantee: if your specific court declines this certificate, you get a full refund, no processing fee and no deadline to claim it.
Check us on the law
Every fact on this page traces to an official source. Read them yourself.