Plain English
Glossary
Clinic and school words, said once. If a word decides care or money, the official page and the licensed person outrank this list.
Prenatal
Before the birth. The pregnant person’s clinician runs this care. Your job is the calendar, the ride, and a steady presence.
On the map: Pregnancy.
Postpartum
After the birth. Recovery and the early weeks at home. Medicine stays with the clinicians. Shifts and food are the work you can hold.
On the map: First year.
Clinician
The licensed person who owns the medical plan: doctor, midwife, pediatric clinician, or therapist. DadLane is not one of them.
On the map: Pregnancy, Birth, First year, Toddler, Teens.
After-hours line
The number the office gave you for nights and weekends. Write it on the sheet. If someone might get hurt right now, use 988 or emergency services instead.
On the map: Pregnancy, Birth, First year.
Discharge
The moment the birth place says you can leave, plus the instructions they give you. Write those instructions in their words before you reach the car.
On the map: Birth.
FMLA
The Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal leave law. It does not cover every job. Ask your employer what you can take, and get the answer in writing. The Department of Labor explains the law. DadLane does not decide your case.
Portal
The school’s website or app where grades, forms, and messages live. Pick one weeknight to open it. The password should not live only in your head.
On the map: School.
IEP
Individualized Education Program. A school plan for a child who qualifies for special education. The school explains eligibility. Read the page they give you before the meeting. DadLane will not tell you what the plan should say.
On the map: School.
504 plan
A school plan for accommodations when a child has a disability and needs access, even without an IEP. Ask the school for their official page. This glossary is the plain English, not the ruling.
On the map: School.
Curfew
The time you already wrote down, on a calm day, for when they are home. A curfew invented mid-fight is a dare. Safety still outranks the clock: if you think they might get hurt, call 988 or emergency services.
On the map: Teens.
FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form lives on StudentAid.gov. Dates change. Copy them from that site the day you look. A screenshot from a group chat is not the date.
On the map: Launch.
Student aid
Money for school that may be a grant, a loan, or work. Loans are debt. The official words are on StudentAid.gov. DadLane will not guess what you will be offered.
On the map: Launch.
529
A savings plan for education, run by a state or a plan company, not by this website. If you have one, confirm the rules with the plan. Contributions you cannot miss should not be a vow.
On the map: Launch.
Co-parent
Another adult who shares the child. Logistics go adult to adult. The child is not the mail. If a rule is legal, it lives with your lawyer and the order.