Programs courts order by name · Level 1 Parenting Class
Level 1 Parenting Class: What Colorado Courts Require (and How Level 2 Differs)
The standard court-required co-parenting class in Colorado domestic relations cases — the label Colorado judicial districts use on their approved-provider lists, alongside Level 1.5 and Level 2.
Quick answer: what is a Level 1 parenting class?
A “Level 1 parenting class” is the standard co-parenting education class that Colorado district courts require in divorce and custody cases involving children under 18. The label comes from Colorado’s judicial districts, not from the statute: the El Paso County court (4th Judicial District) requires a Level 1 class in every domestic relations case involving children, within 42 days of filing, and district provider lists sort approved classes into Level 1, Level 1.5 and Level 2. Level 1 classes on those lists take about four hours and cost $29.95 to $135 per parent; Level 2 is the longer class the lists label high-conflict. Take the level your order names, from your own district’s approved list.
At a glance
| Who runs or publishes it | Private providers approved district by district. C.R.S. 14-10-123.7 lets each judicial district establish its own program or arrange for private providers, and makes the district responsible for administering and monitoring it. |
|---|---|
| Format | Online self-paced, live Zoom and in-person options all appear on district lists. The 1st, 18th and 23rd Judicial District lists include a column showing which providers offer the class in Spanish. |
| Length | About four hours for Level 1: the 1st, 18th and 23rd Judicial District lists describe listed classes as four hours long or as taking a minimum of four hours to complete. The 18th Judicial District’s list shows one provider’s Level 2 high-conflict class at 12 hours and its Level 2.5 at 16 hours. |
| Cost | Set by each provider and printed on the district lists: Level 1 classes there run from $29.95 to $135 per parent. One provider on the 18th Judicial District’s list prices Level 1 at $29.95, Level 1.5 at $84.95, Level 2 at $124.95 and Level 2.5 at $169.99. The statute says parents pay according to each parent’s ability to pay, and many listed providers offer a sliding scale or accept a court fee waiver. |
| Online? | Yes — if the provider is on your district’s list |
| Where courts document it | Colorado judicial districts (El Paso, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Douglas, Adams) |
Which courts order or accept Level 1 Parenting Class
Here is where we found Level 1 Parenting Class named in an official court or state source, and what that source says. A court that lists a program satisfies its own requirement with it — that does not make it valid for every court.
Colorado (statewide authority)
Colorado General Assembly — C.R.S. § 14-10-123.7
A court may order a parent of a child under 18 to attend a program about the impact of separation and divorce on children in a divorce, legal separation, allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time or post-decree case. Each judicial district may set up its own program or use private providers, and parents pay according to their ability to pay. The statute does not use the words “Level 1” or “Level 2.”
Source: C.R.S. § 14-10-123.7 — Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 14 (Colorado General Assembly, PDF); C.R.S. § 14-10-123.7 — readable copy (Colorado.Public.Law)
El Paso County (Colorado Springs) — 4th Judicial District
District Court, El Paso County
The court’s forms page says Level 1 parenting classes are required in all domestic relations cases involving children under 18. Its Domestic Relations Case Management Order (form FCF 400) tells every parent in such a case to attend a Level 1 parenting seminar from an approved provider within 42 days of the case being filed, and to file a copy of the certificate of completion with the court. The district’s provider list (June 2025) marks each provider as approved for Level 1, Level 1.5 and/or Level 2.
Source: Colorado Judicial Branch — Forms for El Paso County (4th Judicial District), Parenting Classes; District Court, El Paso County — FCF 400 Domestic Relations Case Management Order (PDF); Fourth Judicial District — Parenting Class List (PDF, June 2025)
Arapahoe County area — 18th Judicial District
18th Judicial District approved parenting class provider list (dated 08.18.25)
The list shows cost, sliding-scale, schedule and Spanish availability for each approved provider. Most entries are single four-hour classes; where a provider sells several levels, the list prices Level 1, Level 1.5, a 12-hour Level 2 high-conflict co-parenting class and a 16-hour Level 2.5 separately.
Source: 18th Judicial District — Approved Parenting Class Providers (PDF, 08.18.25)
Jefferson and Gilpin Counties — 1st Judicial District
1st Judicial District approved parenting class providers (list dated 08/2024)
The list includes online, Zoom and in-person classes, most described as four hours long, and shows separate Level 1, Level 1.5 and Level 2 prices for the providers that offer more than one level.
Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln Counties — 23rd Judicial District
23rd Judicial District approved parenting class provider list (dated 01/14/25)
The list follows the same format as the 18th Judicial District’s, with Level 1, Level 1.5 and Level 2 prices shown for the providers that offer more than one level.
Source: 23rd Judicial District — Approved Parenting Class Providers (PDF, 01/14/25)
Adams County — 17th Judicial District
Colorado Judicial Branch — Adams County Parenting Classes
Adams County’s court page says all parties with minor children seeking a divorce, legal separation or allocation of parental responsibilities must attend a court-approved parenting class from one of the providers it lists, and must file the provider’s certificate of completion with the court. It gives one listed provider’s price as the price of its Level 1 class, and notes that a provider may reduce the fee for parents who qualify but the court cannot waive it.
Source: Colorado Judicial Branch — Adams County Parenting Classes
Level 1 vs Level 2: what the official lists show
Colorado’s statute authorizes one kind of program — education about how separation and divorce affect children, plus co-parenting skills. The levels are a labeling system that judicial districts and their approved providers use on top of that.
- Level 1 — the standard class. It is the level the El Paso County court requires in every domestic relations case with children under 18. District lists describe it as about four hours, at $29.95 to $135 per parent.
- Level 1.5 — an in-between level some providers offer. The 4th Judicial District’s list has a separate Level 1.5 column, and one provider on the 18th Judicial District’s list prices it at $84.95. The lists do not define it further.
- Level 2 — the longer class. The 18th Judicial District’s list labels one provider’s Level 2 as a 12-hour high-conflict co-parenting class at $124.95, and the 4th Judicial District’s list has a separate Level 2 column.
- Level 2.5 — shown for one provider on the 18th Judicial District’s list as a 16-hour high-conflict class at $169.99.
Who gets ordered into which level
Level 1 is the default. In El Paso County it is required of all parents in a domestic relations case involving children under 18, and Adams County requires a court-approved parenting class of all parties with minor children in a divorce, legal separation or allocation-of-parental-responsibilities case.
We did not find a statewide rule or an official court page that says which parents must take Level 1.5 or Level 2. The official lists only label Level 2 as the high-conflict class, so a higher level applies to you when your judge or magistrate orders it. If your order just says “parenting class,” or names a level you are unsure about, ask the court’s self-help center or the clerk before you pay.
Is “Level 1” used outside Colorado?
We have only verified this terminology in Colorado court sources. If your order comes from another state and says “Level 1,” do not assume the Colorado meaning applies — ask that court which class it means.
The certificate and how to file it
Your provider issues a certificate of completion and you file it in your case. El Paso County’s case management order requires you to file a copy of the certificate with the court once you finish, and Adams County’s court page says parties must file a certificate of completion from the parenting class provider. Make sure the certificate shows the level you were ordered to take.
Confirm your court accepts Level 1 Parenting Class
- Use your own judicial district’s list. Each district approves its own providers — the 4th Judicial District’s list even shows some providers approved only for specific districts.
- Match the level. A Level 1 certificate does not satisfy an order for Level 1.5 or Level 2, and on the 4th Judicial District’s list many providers are approved for Level 1 only.
- Check the deadline in your case management order. El Paso County’s order says 42 days from filing; other districts set their own.
- Ask the provider about a sliding scale or fee-waiver discount before paying. Adams County notes the court itself cannot waive the class fee.
- Provider lists are dated and change. Open the current list from your district’s page on the Colorado Judicial Branch website rather than relying on a provider’s own claim of approval.
Before you enroll or pay: the court handling your case decides which program counts. Match the exact program name, version and format on your order, and if anything is unclear, ask the clerk, your attorney, or the court office named in your order. A completed class the court does not accept does not satisfy the order. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- C.R.S. § 14-10-123.7 — Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 14 (Colorado General Assembly, PDF)
- C.R.S. § 14-10-123.7 — readable copy (Colorado.Public.Law)
- Colorado Judicial Branch — Forms for El Paso County (4th Judicial District), Parenting Classes
- District Court, El Paso County — FCF 400 Domestic Relations Case Management Order (PDF)
- Fourth Judicial District — Parenting Class List (PDF, June 2025)
- 18th Judicial District — Approved Parenting Class Providers (PDF, 08.18.25)
- 1st Judicial District (Jefferson and Gilpin Counties) — Approved Parenting Class Providers (PDF, 08/2024)
- 23rd Judicial District — Approved Parenting Class Providers (PDF, 01/14/25)
- Colorado Judicial Branch — Adams County Parenting Classes
Source & accuracy: every fact on this page comes from the official court or state sources above, or — where labeled — from the program publisher’s own website. Last reviewed 2026-09-30. Requirements, provider lists and fees change, so confirm with your court before you enroll or pay. We are an independent directory: we do not run this program, we are not affiliated with or endorsed by its publisher or any court, and none of these links are affiliate links. Program names are used only to identify the programs and belong to their respective owners.