Investing in Families
We aren't equipping working families with the resources they need to care for their loved ones, pursue opportunities, and make ends meet. It's time we invest in American parents again.
"Amid the grim landscape of the pandemic, I see one bright light: American parents have finally realized that the government can and should do far more to support them at work and at home."
- Harvard Business Review, The Free Market Has Failed Working Parents
The issue
Research shows that “the US ranks lowest in overall policies helping parents support children." We offer the least paid maternal and paternal leave, sick and vacation leave, work flexibility, and child care subsidies across OECD countries. As a result, we have the largest ‘parental happiness gap’ – US parents are unhappier relative to non-parents in all other countries but one. Our parents also experience the highest levels of burnout, as 6-in-10 report feeling overwhelmed. We must invest in the family programs that create “a virtuous cycle in which workers are happier, more engaged, and more productive – which offsets [program] costs; and our society becomes more fair, just, and humane.”
Read the detailed policy fact sheet:
How we fix it:
🧒 Provide universal childcare and early education
Childcare prepares children to succeed in school, keeps them safe, and reduces the financial burden for working families. Lack of childcare hurts economic mobility; when parents have to stay home, they can’t invest in the education or training that provide greater opportunity. We must promote states’ ability to provide affordable, quality childcare and ultimately pass the Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act, which will expand programs to create quality, universal childcare and early learning programs for all US children from 6 weeks to school-age.
🕰️ Provide families with the time off they need to thrive
Enact federal paid and medical family leave
Separating parents from their newborns or preventing them from caring for a loved one long-term sets families up for failure. We must provide truly universal Paid Family and Medical leave at the federal level.
Establish federal paid sick leave
America is the only developed nation not to guarantee paid parental and sick leave. When we force employees to go to work sick or interfere with their ability to care for sick family members, everyone gets sicker and we all lose. We must guarantee paid sick leave nationwide.
Promote flexible work arrangements
🤝 Help working families make ends meet
Set adequate wages to support families
63% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, including nearly 50% of six-figure earners. MIT reports that “the minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families.” We must raise the minimum wage and set wage controls; see the fact sheet for more details.
Continue funding for key assistance programs
When Republicans last controlled our budget, they made deep cuts to our food stamp (SNAP) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and more. We need to commit to sizable, sustained investments in these programs that empower working families.
Continue funding for the Child Tax Credit
This program helps families living in poverty afford basic essentials to care for their children. The National Academy of Sciences found that families who receive income support for their children produce kids with better health and stronger earnings as adults.