12 Weeks of Paid Leave in the United States Would Result in Around 600 Fewer Infant Deaths a Year.
Parents are being forced to choose between bonding with their new baby or putting food on their table. Impossible choices like this hurt Kansas families and the state’s economy.
Children’s first relationships, especially with their parents, are critical to their developing brains. Yet 79% of Kansans lack Paid Family and Medical Leave, and 62% do not have access to unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.
Kansas families are struggling as costs go up for everything from food to health care to child care. Too often, new parents are forced to return to work too quickly to meet the financial needs of their family. If they have to return to work before their baby is six weeks old, they are not eligible for licensed child care. Finding licensed infant care is a challenge for too many Kansans, adding stress to already stressful times. Paid leave gives families time to search for quality child care that meets their unique needs. Child care providers report that infants and their parents have an easier time transitioning to child care at 12 weeks postpartum than at 6 weeks.
By all accounts, paid leave reduces stress, allows parents the freedom to recover from childbirth, encourages healthy development in young children, and helps families become stronger and more financially stable in the long term.