Connecting Nests

California · 4-3

4-3 in California

The child is with one parent four nights a week and the other three, on the same days every week. In California this is written into a Parenting Plan, where time with a child is called visitation.

Build this plan for California — free

Template for educational use — not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state. Laws change; confirm current requirements with a licensed attorney in California.

The rotation

A = one parent, B = the other. Each cell is one overnight. This rotation divides regular school-year overnights 57/43 — about 209 and 156 nights a year.
WeekMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1 AAAABBB

What California expects

California orders ride on Judicial Council form FL-341 and its attachments. Our template is the companion you negotiate from and then transcribe onto FL-341 — courts want their own form.

Governing law: Cal. Fam. Code § 3000 et seq..

California requires its own form — FL-341 — Child Custody and Visitation Order Attachment. Agree your terms first, then transcribe them onto it.

The honest trade-off

The most predictable schedule on this list — every week is identical, so there is no odd/even week to track and no calendar needed after the first month. It's also the natural on-ramp to 50/50: shifting a single night makes it 3-4-4-3.

Other schedules in California