2026 Accomplishments

NY Shared Parenting Conference: On April 19, NPO New York held a successful first Shared Parenting Conference in Peekskill, New York. The event, put on by NPO New York Chair Andre Rainey and his New York team, quickly sold out of tickets with over 80 attendees. The conference brought together legislators, advocates, and supporters from all over the country and sent the message that shared parenting matters and that families deserve thoughtful, balanced, and child-centered support. 

Title IV-D (Child Support) Project: NPO has initiated a significant project to reform the Title IV-D (Child Support) program to make the program more appropriate for modern families,  fairer to both parents, and better able to promote children’s interests by encouraging the active involvement of both parents. A team of NPO volunteers and one from Family Reunion have met with the legislative aides of more than 30 legislators and staffers with key legislative committees. We’re also working with key people in the administration to work on regulatory improvements. We submitted a detailed report to the Work & Welfare subcommittee of the House Ways & Means Committee in connection with their January hearing on the IV-D program. Our efforts have been very well received. We hope to secure additional funding to increase our effectiveness and continue to be the voice for parents in the much needed reform of the IV-D program.

Legislative Testimony: NPO has submitted detailed, well-documented oral and written testimony for more than 10 shared parenting bills in the first six months of 2026—in states as diverse as:  South Dakota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio, and Idaho. 

NPO in the Media:  NPO continues to publish op-eds and to be recognized in news stories about family law reform. For example, in June, FoxNews and AOL published an op-ed by NPO Vice Chair Matt Hale that received a lot of attention.

Ned Holstein award: On Shared Parenting Day, April 26, NPO awarded the fifth annual Ned Holstein Shared Parenting Research award to Tom James for "Equal Custody Presumptions - From Fault and Gender to Equal Time" and Maria Cancian, Molly A. Costanzo, & Daniel Meyer for "Formal and Informal Shared Parenting Among Divorced and Never-Married Parents." An honorable mention was awarded to Bradley Hardy, Krista Ruffini, Maria Cancian, Thomas DeLeire, and Nada Eissa for "A New Tax System for Children and Families." These awards reflect NPO’s ongoing commitment to promoting research-based family law reform and protecting every child’s right to meaningful relationships with both fit and loving parents after separation or divorce. 

The NPO Champion for Children Award:  In 2023, NPO awarded Linda Reutzel its first Champion for Children award recognizing the nine years of excellent work she’d done in getting a strong equal shared parenting law enacted in Missouri. This year, we’ve awarded two Champion for Children awards. We awarded Pennsylvania State Representative Jamie Flick the inaugural Champion for Children Award in recognition of his relentless legislative advocacy, particularly his introduction of House Bill 1499, which seeks to establish a rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting time. Kentucky Family Court Judge Mica Wood Pence received the Champion for Children Award for her exceptional judicial stewardship in successfully implementing the nation's first rebuttable shared parenting presumption, providing real-world evidence that an equal custody default actively reduces courtroom conflict.

Screening of Split Up: In March NPO held a free virtual screening of the documentary Split, a film that highlights the experiences of teens navigating divorce and helps parents, educators, and professionals better understand how to support them. Following the screening there was a live Q&A and discussion with filmmaker Ellen Bruno and divorce parenting expert Christina McGhee. The lively discussion focused on supporting teens through their parents’ split and reflected on how shared parenting can lessen the turmoil of divorce.

Participation for Third Year in Divorce With Respect Week:  For the third year NPO participated in Divorce With Respect Week, which helps families learn about the divorce process and options for how to divorce with less hostility, including how to keep their divorce out of court by using the Collaborative Divorce process. 

Full Audit of National Parents Organization: To reassure our supporters that NPO operates extremely efficiently, we commissioned an audit of the organization by Pavento, Ratcliffe, Renzi & Co., LLC. The audit confirmed that management and administrative costs remained extremely tight, amounting to only about 11.8% of NPO’s budget. 

National Parents Organization Selected for Prestigious ICONIQ Impact Boys & Men Co-Lab- NPO was honored to be selected as one of just 18 organizations nationwide to receive a grant through ICONIQ Impact’s newly launched Boys & Men Co-Lab. NPO was recognized as one of six organizations in the Co-Lab’s Fatherhood initiative, which focuses on strengthening father involvement and removing barriers to engaged parenting. This recognition represents a significant milestone for NPO, affirming the importance of its mission to promote shared parenting and strengthen parent-child relationships. Being included alongside nationally respected organizations in this philanthropic initiative elevates NPO’s visibility, credibility, and role in advancing solutions that benefit children, fathers, and families.

Advocating for Shared Parenting Reform at Pennsylvania State Capitol- On October 5, 2026, National Parents Organization (NPO) participated in a press conference at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg supporting House Bill 1499, legislation sponsored by Representative Jamie Flick to establish a rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting for fit parents. NPO Board Chair Don Hubin spoke at the press conference, lending NPO’s national voice and expertise to the effort to advance meaningful child custody reform. NPO’s participation alongside legislators, advocates, and other national organizations demonstrated its leadership in the shared parenting movement and its continued commitment to ensuring children have the opportunity to maintain strong relationships with both parents.

Major Legislative Victories for Shared Parenting in Mississippi and Louisiana- In 2026, the shared parenting movement achieved two significant legislative victories with the passage of landmark laws in Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi's HB 1662 and Louisiana's HB 1239 establish shared parenting as the starting point for child custody decisions, recognizing the importance of children maintaining strong relationships with both parents following separation or divorce. National Parents Organization (NPO) supported these reforms, including advocating for Mississippi's legislation and publicly championing Louisiana's historic achievement. With these victories, seven states have now enacted shared parenting presumption laws, marking substantial progress toward NPO's mission of making shared parenting the norm nationwide.