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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. 

Paid family leave

Featured Resources

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2025 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.

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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.

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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

Parent with child showing “Paid Family Leave” campaign sticker. (Source: The Washington Post, Getty Images)

How Did We Get Here? The History of Paid Leave Policies

As more and more states explore paid leave policies, leaders have the opportunity to design these policies in more equitable ways—which begs the question: how did we get here?
Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri

2025 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Roundup

With most legislatures adjourned for the year, we recap the 2025 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.
Mother holding her newborn baby in a baby carrier sitting on a sofa bonding with her. They are at their home in Sedgefield, North East England. The baby is sleeping while the mother kisses her head.

Benefit-Cost Analysis of a Paid Family and Medical Leave Program in Vermont

Paid family and medical leave policies are proven to strengthen families’ economic security, support the health and wellbeing of children and parents, and improve mothers’ labor force participation, among other benefits. In partnership with the

How Do State Policy Choices Impact Family Resources?

The Policy Impact Calculator compares the level of resources available to a full-time working family across states. This interactive tool offers a self-guided tour of the substantial variation in state policy choices for working families

State Policy Progress on Paid Family and Medical Leave in 2025

Paid family and medical leave (PFML) is one of several evidence-based policies in our 2025 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, which details states’ progress toward adopting and implementing policies that effectively improve child and family wellbeing.

A Tale of Two States: The Impact of State Policy Choices on Family Resources

Since the release of our 2020 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, every state has increased their investment in at least one effective Roadmap policy, but the choices they have made vary considerably.  The distinct choices that
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