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 Kansas, child support is designed to cover the basic needs of the child, which includes food, housing, clothing, and educational expenses. The Kansas Child Support Guidelines provide a framework for determining the amount of child support to be paid, taking into account the income of both parents and the needs of the child. While the guidelines aim to ensure that child support covers a child's basic living expenses, they do not explicitly list every specific expense such as school supplies, health care costs, or extracurricular activities. However, Kansas law does recognize that additional expenses such as health insurance, uninsured medical costs, and work-related childcare costs should be factored into the child support calculation. These additional expenses are typically shared by the parents in proportion to their incomes. It is important for parents to discuss and agree upon how to handle the costs of raising their child that are not explicitly covered by child support, and they may include these agreements in their parenting plan. In cases of dispute, a court may need to intervene to determine how these costs should be divided. Parents should consult with an attorney to understand how the Kansas child support guidelines apply to their specific situation and to ensure that all relevant costs are considered in the child support arrangement.