Paid parental leave allows families to care for young children during a critical time of human development without the financial strain of losing a job or finding affordable quality care for their baby while they work. Early strong attachments to parents help with healthy brain development, which has a lasting positive impact on a child’s health and development.
For Our Babies recommends policies and practices that support nine months of paid parental leave.
Nine Months of paid parental leave
The Crisis
The United States currently has no federal paid family leave policy. New parents in the United States may access unpaid leave through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 19931. FMLA leave consists of 12 weeks of unpaid leave that can be taken continuously or intermittently and on a full-time basis or reduced schedule leave, depending on employer’s approval2. Currently, eight states and the District of Columbia have paid family leave laws: California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, and the District of Columbia.
California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico also require employers to have short-term disability insurance3.
Why It Matters
Early strong attachments to parents help with healthy brain development during the first three years of a child’s life. Paid family leave policies can help retain valuable employees who need help balancing work and family and thereby reduce high costs associated with employee turnover.
We Recommend
Paid leave for parents for the first nine months of their child’s life
In the Library
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What you can do
PL+US
Paid Leave for the United States is the national campaign to win paid family leave by 2022. You can join to become part of the movement. On the website you can find campaign information, news stories and a link to donate.
- U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Family and Medical Leave Act. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla
- U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Family and Medical Leave Act. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla
- National Partnership for Women & Families. (2019). State paid family medical leave insurance laws. https://www.nationalpartnership.org/our-work/resources/economic-justice/paid-leave/state-paid-family-leave-laws.pdf
