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.

In Rhode Island, child support is governed by state statutes and guidelines that are designed to cover a child's basic needs, which include food, clothing, and shelter. The Rhode Island Family Court uses a formula to calculate child support, which takes into account the income of both parents and the needs of the child. While the guidelines establish the minimum amount of support, they do not provide a detailed breakdown of how the funds should be allocated for specific expenses such as school supplies, health care, braces, glasses, dental care, uninsured medical care, transportation, daycare, sports and cheerleading camps, school trips, social activities, and extracurricular activities. These additional expenses are often not explicitly covered by the basic child support payment and may require additional agreements between the parents. In cases where parents cannot agree on the sharing of these costs, the court may intervene to make a determination based on the best interests of the child. It is advisable for parents to discuss and outline the handling of these expenses in their parenting plan or settlement agreement to prevent future conflicts.