Time for parents to bond with and care for their babies.
The time right after a baby is born or adopted is a time of extraordinary growth, development, and connection for a family. Parents and their babies need dedicated time together to develop close, nurturing relationships that set the foundation for a child’s healthy development. They also need time to care for their child or other family members during serious illness. In the absence of a national paid leave policy, many families were left without means of financial support throughout the COVID-19 crisis, forced to choose between the income that sustains their families and caring for themselves or their loved ones. While emergency paid family and medical leave was created through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, it provided only a temporary solution. We now need a permanent national paid family and medical leave program that ensures all families can provide their babies with the care and stability necessary for a strong future.