If you have children, the Probate Court requires that you attend a parenting program which is an educational program designed to inform parties about the problems that children are likely to experience during the divorce process and to provide you with practical suggestions for helping your children and yourselves to cope with such major life changes resulting from the divorce and separation of the parents. You and your spouse must each attend a parenting program before your divorce is finalized in court; however, you may not attend the program at the same time as your spouse. We will provide you with a list of locations where the program is offered and you may contact the organization directly to obtain dates on which the program is held. The completed parenting class certificate must be filed with the court before you can obtain a divorce hearing date.

The Discovery Process