Paid leave

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Paid leave

Paid leave policies allow employees to take time off work and still receive at least a portion of their regular pay. Paid leave can be used for various reasons, but is most commonly used for illness or for recovering from childbirth and bonding with a new child. Paid leave policies help sick parents and new families continue to access critical household resources that can catalyze positive outcomes.

Featured Resources

2024 Roadmap Profile: Paid Family and Medical Leave

Paid family and medical leave programs providing a minimum of 6 weeks of leave for all parents with a new child increase access to paid time off from work, reduce racial disparities in leave-taking, boost mothers’ labor force participation, improve maternal mental health, and foster better child-parent relationships and child health.

Research Brief: A Business Case for Paid Leave Policies

This brief outlines the impact of paid family and medical leave (PFML) policies on the labor force and businesses, as well as steps states are taking in policy design to address employer concerns.

Benefit-Cost Analysis of Pennsylvania Paid Family Leave Program Proposed in H.B.181

In 2023, a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced H.B. 181 to create a new paid family and medical leave program, providing leave of up to 20 weeks.

Related Resources

Funding Mechanisms for State Paid Family and Medical Leave Programs

Learn how statewide paid family and medical leave (PFML) programs are financed through payroll contributions from workers and employers. This policy brief explores key decisions for funding PFML programs, including start-up funding, premium contributions, rate determination, and wage coverage.

State policy progress on paid family and medical leave in 2024

Paid family and medical leave (PFML) is one of 12 evidence-based policies in our 2024 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, which details states’ progress toward adopting and implementing policies that effectively improve child and family wellbeing.

How One Funder Invests in Policy & Systems Change for Family Mental Health

This is a guest post by Kim Gilsdorf, a Program Officer for the Perigee Fund, a national philanthropy committed to prenatal-to-age-3 mental health. I work with organizations that support the mental health of families every

2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights

With most legislatures adjourned for the year, we recap the 2024 action on state policies to support children and families. So far this year, lawmakers throughout the country debated—and many passed—legislation that aligns with four key components of the prenatal-to-3 system of care.

June Update: Prenatal-to-3 State Legislative Trends

Though most legislative sessions have adjourned, lawmakers and advocates across the country continue to advance efforts to support children and families. A lot can happen at the tail end of a legislative session, as Colorado

State Policies to Promote Equity in Healthy Perinatal Outcomes: A Summary of the Evidence

Barriers to health care, high-quality health insurance, and parental leave work together to leave families and children vulnerable during the perinatal period. These barriers can shape life-long outcomes, particularly for children from historically marginalized groups.

Paid Leave