“The Mother referred to the decision of Justice McGee in Melbourne v. Melbourne, 2022 ONSC 2299, 72 R.F.L. (8th) 84, where support and weight is given to the “extensively researched” AFCC Parenting Guidelines. Specifically, at para.19:
[19] The AFCC Parenting Guidelines were prepared by the Ontario Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC-Ontario) to assist parents and their professional advisors in specifically developing the best, child-focused, and realistic parenting plans…
[20] I agree with Justice Chappel in McBennett v. Davis, 2021 ONSC 3610, when she states in paragraph [92] that:
The AFCCO-O Guide summarizes basic social science knowledge about the effects of parental separation on children, provides suggestions and guidance to help improve communications and cooperation between separated parents and offers valuable guidance about formulating parenting arrangements that meet the needs of the children.
[21] As further stated by Justice Kraft in H. v. A., 2022 ONSC 1560:
The parenting plan guide produced by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts – Ontario (“AFCC-O”) has been found by many courts to be of great assistance in determining parenting schedules that are in a child’s best interests, depending on the age of the child and his/her developmental stage. While not binding on the courts, the Guide provides a great deal of helpful information and reflects a professional consensus in Ontario about the significant of current child development research for post-separation.
In considering the AFCC-O Guide, Benjamin would be considered a toddler (18-36 months). While I do not feel bound by the Guide, I too find it contains helpful information in understanding a child’s developmental stage and schedules. For toddlers, “if parents have fully shared in the caretaking arrangements before the child has reached this age, and the child has an easy temperament, parenting time can be shared equally as long as the separations from each parent are not too long (no more than two to three days or two nights for example).””