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 Rhode Island, 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 take into account the income of both parents and the needs of the child to determine the appropriate amount of support. While the guidelines provide a framework, they do not explicitly list every child-rearing expense. Expenses such as school supplies, healthcare, dental care, and extracurricular activities are often not itemized, and the extent to which child support should cover these costs can be a gray area. Rhode Island law does recognize that childcare costs necessary for the custodial parent to work, train, or attend school should be factored into the child support calculation. This can mean that the noncustodial parent might be responsible for up to 50% of reasonable childcare expenses. To avoid conflicts, it is advisable for parents to discuss and agree upon how to handle the sharing of these additional child-rearing costs and include such agreements in their child support order or parenting plan.