This is why NJ urgently needs equitable paid family leave

We’re both mothers, and we both know that no time in a child’s life has a greater lifelong impact on physical and emotional well-being than the first 1,000 days. We have both benefited from paid leave policies that enabled us to be present in many of those early days as new moms. And we’re delighted that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin just recently made public that he’s taking family leave after the birth of his daughter, Maya.

But not every parent or caregiver in New Jersey has the same opportunities.

New Jersey’s pioneering paid family leave insurance program, started in 2009 and expanded in 2019, provides economic stability for parents to nurture their newborns or newly adopted children during this crucial time, giving each child the best opportunity to thrive.

Today, cracks in the program prevent it from having maximum impact. Though most workers pay into the Family Leave Insurance fund and are eligible for wage replacement, state law doesn’t offer job protection for all workers. There’s no safeguard for those at workplaces where fewer than 30 people are employed, or for those with less than a year on the job. These mostly hourly and low-wage workers risk losing their jobs if they take family leave. They shouldn’t have to make that choice.

In June, the Burke Foundation partnered with Moms First, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Rutgers Center for Women and Work to host a gathering to explore ways to strengthen support for working families, such as more equitable family leave policies and expanding the availability of affordable, quality child care. There, experts outlined how investing in working families helps to build a healthier and more equitable New Jersey, where everyone can thrive.

Unlike other high-income nations, the United States invests very little in child care, only about $200 a year per family in tax credits. In contrast, Denmark spends more than $23,000 a year on care for children under age 2. The U.S., meanwhile, has no national child care or family leave policy. It’s up to states, local governments and individual employers to establish their own programs. This patchwork of policies leaves low-paid workers, especially workers of color, the ones least likely to take advantage of these benefits. In New Jersey, for instance, close to 57% of employees making less than $25,000 a year could lose their jobs if they take family leave.

The encouraging news is that New Jersey is a leader in supporting families and can continue to lead. An essential first step is to fix loopholes in the family leave program that enables workers to take paid leave for a new child, to care for a seriously ill loved one or to recover from a disabling condition. New Jersey lawmakers should strive for more equity in family leave policies.

The state needs to recognize, too, that family leave alone is not enough to support working parents. Affordable, accessible child care is equally essential. At our gathering, business people, union leaders and advocates from other states shared innovative solutions.

Rich Maroko, president of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO, noted that New Jersey hotel and casino employees who clean rooms, deal cards, check in guests or make repairs simply can’t work remotely.

“Without reliable child care, holding down a full-time job is impossible for these parents,” he said.

The union negotiated for employers to make up the 15% difference between family leave payments and an employee’s normal paycheck. He added that the union is working to create a child care fund to subsidize private child care and possibly provide direct child care.

Aly Richards, CEO of Let’s Grow Kids, said Vermont recently enacted the state’s most comprehensive child care law. She said advocates worked to build trust with lawmakers, got businesses on board and built coalitions.

Colorado’s public/private partnership, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children, established a design lab to guide employers seeking to create child care centers. EPIC worked with small and midsize employers in rural, frontier and resort areas of the state, and they used more than $20 million in private and public funds. Nicole Riehl, president and CEO, said employers want and need guidance, since child care is not their primary business, and they need help dealing with such issues as cost and regulations.

In New Jersey, the need to act is urgent. Studies show that paid maternity leave reduces infant and under-5 mortality — and a growing body of evidence finds that paid leave improves maternal mental health. Supporting working families helps create healthier communities and can reduce the intolerable racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality that exist in New Jersey.

At the Burke Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we believe that investing in maternal and child health and early childhood initiatives is a critical and necessary step toward making New Jersey the healthiest, most equitable state it can be — starting with families.

Atiya Weiss is executive director of the Burke Foundation in Princeton, which is committed to early childhood policies and practices that promote healthy births and strong beginnings — recognizing the lifelong value of healthy parent-child relationships and high-quality early care and learning.

Maisha E. Simmons is a senior program director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is dedicated to building a culture of health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being.