Statewide paid family leave, and especially bonding leave following a child’s birth, is one of the most effective policies a state can implement to support young children and their families. ‘Bonding leave’ is leave taken to care for a new child after birth, adoption, or foster care placement. Rigorous evidence shows that bonding leave can improve parent-child relationships, boost parent and child health, and promote parental employment, among other benefits.  Pennsylvania H.B. 181 was introduced to the General Assembly in 2023 to create a new paid family leave program.

Read this policy brief from the prenatal-to-3 policy Impact Center.