What Is a Parenting Plan?
A "parenting plan" is essentially a custody schedule that sets forth the following:

• each parent's decision-making responsibility over the child
  
• residential provisions (including where the child will live)
  
• holiday and summer vacation visitation schedule
  
• each parent's responsibility for transporting the child between visits
  
• child support award, and
  
• how the parents will resolve disputes.
  
• Washington state custody laws recognize both temporary and permanent parenting plans.
  

Temporary Parenting Plan
When there's no parenting plan in your Washington state case, a judge may issue a temporary parenting plan. "Temporary Parenting Plans" are a custody schedule that a judge puts in place for a limited amount of time. For example, you and your spouse might need to abide by a temporary parenting plan while your divorce or custody case is finalized.
Just like a permanent or final parenting plan, a temporary parenting plan will address each parent's rights to make medical or educational decisions on the child's behalf. A temporary parenting plan will also decide when and where visits and exchanges of the child will take place.