State requirements / New York
New York parenting class requirement
Only when a judge orders it
New York has no automatic requirement. A judge may, at their discretion, order both parents to attend a certified Parent Education and Awareness Program, and the order must cover both parents rather than one. Where there is any history or allegation of domestic violence or abuse, the court may not order it at all.
The requirement at a glance
| Who must attend | Both parents, but only when a judge orders it. An order must direct both parents rather than one, and the parents may not attend the same class session. Where there is any history, allegation, or pleading of domestic violence or other abuse involving the parents or their children, the court may not mandate attendance, and a parent who is a victim of domestic violence may opt out by contacting a program administrator. |
| Hours required | 6 minimum, 8 maximum, in two sessions. Waivable on good cause to one 4 hour session |
| Deadline | There is none. The rule says only that an order should be made as early in the proceeding as practicable, and that it must not delay the progress of the underlying case. |
| Authority | 22 NYCRR Part 144 |
| Fees and waivers | The fee is capped at $100 per person, and a parent should not be excluded for inability to pay. A hardship policy is mandatory and, unusually, benchmarked: each provider must have one based on the Poverty Income Guidelines published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. New York is the third state to require a published sliding scale, after Delaware and Minnesota, and the only one anchored to a named federal benchmark. |
| Our price | $25 for one parent, $50 for both parents on the same case. Scholarship seats are funded by donors, so no parent is turned away for money. |
| Our registry status | On our active build and filing list. We will announce the day this state accepts us, and not a day before. |
What the law actually says
“the court, in its discretion, may order both parents to attend a parent education and awareness program. The order must direct that both parents attend, not just one parent, but the parents shall not attend the same class session.”
22 NYCRR 144.3(b)Quoted from the official text. Read it yourself at the source below.The part nobody explains
Filing your certificate
Nothing, on your part. The court gets compliance information only from the provider, under the certification guidelines, and not from the parents.
If the deadline passes
Part 144 contains no sanction of its own, so any consequence comes from the individual judge's order rather than from the rule.
Who approves providers in New York
The Office of Court Administration certifies providers, and certification includes an on-site review in which the Program Director observes a full program cycle. That live-observation requirement is a genuine obstacle for a self-paced online course, and Part 144 does not address online delivery at all. We treat New York as a slow door and say so.
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.