The discussion around child care and paid family leave in the United States gained traction during the vice presidential debate. Many families across the country, including those in California, struggle with lack of affordable child care and difficulty taking time off to tend to family needs, either for newborns or sick relatives. Despite investments in this area, further solutions are necessary.

Republicans showed resistance to President Biden’s 2021 plan for an affordable child-care system and universal paid family benefit. However, during the debate, ex-President Trump’s running mate, JD Vance (R-Ohio), showed some support. He advocated for spending more government money on child care and suggested a solution would lie in giving families more choice in their care providers.

Conversely, the view of child-care experts is that the child-care market isn’t just a supply-side problem. The issue also lies in the cost of care for families, often higher than they can afford. Child-care workers are some of the lowest-paid individuals, making it difficult to carve out a profit, thus deterring people from starting child-care centers in the first place.

A possible solution would involve the federal government subsidizing care for more families, shifting the model to a reimbursement model rather than profit-based. However, compromises need to be met, as current vouchers available are insufficient. Quartz, the Democratic Party had proposed a plan of not allowing working families to spend more than 7% of their income on child care, though it failed to pass.

On the other hand, paid family leave is a different issue. The US, compared to other countries, does not have a universal paid leave scheme. Only 13 states and Washington, D.C. have passed legislation regarding it. The federal government does guarantee unpaid but job-protected leave for eligible employees, and up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for qualifying federal employees, though efforts to create a national paid leave law continuously get defeated.

In California, home of the oldest paid family leave program in the US, rules allow workers earning up to $60,000/year to get up to 90% of their income covered while on family or medical leave, up from 60% previously.

For more information on how to exercise your rights about parental leave in California and to know how to get a hold of paid family leave programs, visit eddcaller.com. This website provides valuable resources on contacting EDD offices, understanding California’s paid family leaves, unemployment benefits, and ensuring your questions and concerns are addressed swiftly and efficiently.