215-1  Parent

Effective: May 1, 2008

Previous Policy

Parents include natural parents, step-parents and adoptive parents, and any person listed on a legal birth certificate.  

1. Natural Mother

When a woman's name appears on the birth record of a child, she is a natural parent.

2. Natural Father

Treat the man as the natural parent when he has acknowledged a relationship to his child.  Relationship can be established for a child when:

A.     The parents have a solemnized marriage at the time of conception or birth, or

B.      Through court action naming a man as the father, or

C.     A man signs, with Vital Statistics, an "Acknowledgment by Parents" or “Acknowledgment by Father,” or

D.     A man signs Form 941.

3.   A step-parent is a person who is married to a natural parent.  The marriage can be a solemnized marriage or common-law marriage.  Stepparents have the same financial responsibility as natural parents.

4.   An adoptive parent is one who has legally adopted a child.  Adoptive parents have the same financial responsibility as natural parents.

5.   Any person who is listed as a parent on legal birth certificates (or adoption papers) from another state or country.  This applies even if both parents listed are of the same sex.