Tech consultant develops app to ease co-parenting stress

Divorce can be messy. Jason Cox has experienced it for close to four years. As a father of two boys, he has seen it negatively affect his everyday life, so he took matters into his own hands. He built an app called Zuko to shield his children from adult conflict and help many others along the way.

“I wanted Zuko to reflect the realities of families in Trinidad and Tobago, including the legal framework and the way families are supported,” he tells We Life and Culture.

Since going live on August 1, Cox says the response “has been overwhelming.” Parents and prospective users have expressed genuine relief to finally have a local option for cutting down the stress of post-separation life. Therapists reviewing the platform for client use have also shared positive feedback and practical advice for improvements.

A lifelong coder, Cox’s passion began in Form Four Computer Science class in 1994. He later studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at The UWI, working on software projects with lecturers during his undergraduate studies. Then during his master’s studies in 2003, he interned at a software company in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked on early mobile phone software. Though he spent the past 20 years building a career in the oil and gas industry—where he currently works as a Business Development Consultant—he tackles personal coding projects as a hobbyist, eventually turning his focus to co-parenting technology.

Key features

What does Zuko really bring to the table? Mainly better communication. Parenting schedules, requests, expenses and essential information are stored in one centralised space. Parents can sort conversations by subject, log school activities and appointments, request changes to arrangements and track responses. Interactive calendars keep important dates visible to both sides, while expense tracking lets users easily view school or medical documents without the usual back-and-forth friction, creating a clean, central archive for everyday family life.

A standout feature is the Tonemeter, which monitors the tone of a message. People often write while emotionally charged, adding fuel to the fire and piling onto a growing list of grievances. Cox explains that the AI-driven tool steps in to scan draft messages and catch accusatory or hostile wording while offering a calmer way to frame the same point.

“Parents remain in control,” he explains. “They can use a suggested rewrite, edit it or keep their original message. It does not decide who is right or resolve the underlying disagreement. So far, it seems to be the feature users like most.”

Built for the courtroom

For those going through the court system, Zuko is especially useful, cutting through the administrative chaos by giving parents a private space to track mediation outcomes and supporting evidence directly as events unfold.

Detailed reports provide a clear, documented history for review with a legal professional. Users can officially document parenting-time exchanges—commonly referred to as visitation—tracking whether a handover took place. If an exchange falls through, parents can immediately log the circumstances and any reasons given for the refusal, creating a reliable chronology over time. “Even if a parent deletes their account and personal data, their activity may remain in the audit trail with personal information removed,” he says.

Future developments

In Trinidad, a child’s support network rarely stops at two parents. Grandparents, aunties, uncles, and other trusted relatives often help carry the load. Cox is already designing expansions that will allow these extended support systems to connect to a family workspace with limited access, keeping everyone informed without complicating parent-to-parent decisions. The plan, he states, is to keep refining the user experience while introducing responsible AI assistance to handle everyday tasks. Eventually, parents can upload a document—whether it is a court order, receipt, or school book list—and let the system guide the process. Another major update will allow a parent to use Zuko even if the other party chooses not to join, ensuring single users still have a dedicated tool for tracking responsibilities.

“Co-parenting can already be demanding, so I do not want the app to become another thing a parent has to manage. It may not solve all their problems, but it might solve one. Parents manage so much each day; if I can help with even one problem, I know that is worth something,” he concludes.

Zuko is free to download on the Apple App Store or Google Play.