STATEPOINT— Paid leave prevents workers and their families from falling down a financial rabbit hole when breadwinners need time away from their jobs to care for a loved one, a newborn child or to address their own serious health

issue. For new moms, infants and toddlers, these programs are vital.

As of January 2025, only 13 states and Washington D. C. have or will soon have statewide paid family and medical leave programs in place. Expanding paid

family and medical leave programs nationwide is an important matter of equity and security. This is because just 27 % of workers have paid family leave through their jobs absent a state policy, and low-wage workers are 10

times less likely to have access than the highestpaid workers.

“ For all too many families, caring for a newborn child means being at risk for falling behind on rent, groceries, gas and other day-to-day essentials,”