Child support is generally intended to help with the costs of raising the child—including food, clothing, shelter, and education—but laws vary from state to state and are often unclear on the extent to which child support payments are intended to help the custodial parent pay for half of school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation (car), daycare, sports camps, cheerleading camps, school trips, social activities, and extracurricular activities.

Most state laws (statutes) don’t identify the specific child-rearing costs to which the custodial parent is required to contribute payment from child support and other resources—and because these issues are frequently the source of parental conflict, parents should identify all expected future costs and agree to the process for sharing them.

Childcare expenses incurred by the custodial parent are generally not required to be paid by the noncustodial parent in addition to child support—unless the childcare is required for the custodial parent’s work, training, or school—in which case the noncustodial parent may be required to pay for 50% of the childcare, for example.

In Arkansas, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, clothing, shelter, and education. The state's child support guidelines provide a framework for determining the amount of support a noncustodial parent should pay, but they do not typically itemize specific child-rearing expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation, daycare, and extracurricular activities. These costs are often not explicitly outlined in the statutes, and as such, they can become points of contention between parents. Arkansas law does recognize that childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent to work, undergo training, or attend school may be shared by the noncustodial parent, potentially requiring them to contribute to these expenses in addition to regular child support payments. To prevent disputes, it is advisable for parents to discuss and agree upon how to handle these additional expenses and include such agreements in their child support arrangements or court orders.